Chapter Text
Neil Josten had known Andrew Minyard for approximately two minutes and thirty seven seconds, and he already knew he’d hate him for the rest of his life.
Andrew, for his part, seemed to have hated Neil before they even met, so Neil felt he was justified. He gave a wistful goodbye to his resolution not to make any enemies in his new life. He’d lasted, what, five hours? Not bad, considering his track record. He was sure Agent Browning would be impressed, if Neil were still his problem. Fortunately for the both of them, Neil had been released from Witness Protection last month, so they’d never have to see each other again.
Technically, Neil had known of Andrew for a few weeks now. He may not be on the run anymore, but he wouldn’t have felt comfortable buying property without knowing some basic information about his neighbors. So Neil had known that the store he’d share a building with sold magical plants and was owned by a man called Andrew Minyard. He’d known that Andrew lived in the apartment above his store, just like Neil would. They’d not only work in the same building, but live in it as well.
He hadn’t thought it would be an issue: the building was converted from a large, two story home into a sort of duplex, with the bottom floor split into two storefronts and the top floor into two apartments. The two halves of the building were separated by a wall and a single boarded-up door upstairs. It would be no different from owning an apartment in a larger complex, or a store in a shopping mall, except for the fact that in this case, he’d only have one neighbor. If anything, it was an improvement; less people to cohabitate with could only be a plus.
But he hadn’t known that Andrew Minyard was such an asshole.
Yes, Neil was aware that he, too, was an asshole, but only when someone pissed him off first. Andrew, on the other hand, had provoked Neil before they had even had a single conversation.
Neil had moved to Palmetto to start over. After a decade on the run from his mob boss father and a few years in the Witness Protection Program, the FBI had finally managed to arrest the last of Nathan Wesninski’s supporters, and Neil was cleared to reenter the world without the threat of retaliation. Between his time on the run and his time in an FBI safe house, Neil had a pretty spotty education and very few marketable skills. He did, however, have a quirk, an extremely rare magical gift. People with quirks could harness the magic in their surroundings and shape it in certain ways. Quirks were highly specific to the individual, and no two people had the exact same one.
Neil’s quirk manifested through tattoos. Or, well, not exactly. Neil could imbue any living being with magic by drawing on their flesh. The easiest way to market that was through a magic tattoo parlor, so that was what Neil did. He found a storefront that he could afford with what was left of his inheritance, and now here he was.
He’d moved in that morning, and as he was unloading his first box of supplies, he felt eyes on his back. Even though he knew there was no one after him anymore, he couldn’t help the rush of cold fear that filled him at the idea of being watched. Neil whipped around, half expecting to see Lola or Nathan. He had seen both of them get shot in the head, but no amount of logic could overcome the primal fear they’d instilled in him from childhood.
Instead, Neil saw a short blond man. The man was dressed in all black, with strips of fabric extending from his elbows to his wrists. His expression was blank, his posture threatening, but Neil had spent his formative years facing the worst monsters humanity had to offer. This stranger - most likely his new neighbor, Andrew Minyard - did not scare him.
Still, Neil thought it would be best to give a good first impression, as he and Andrew would have to live in close proximity for the foreseeable future. So Neil did his best impression of a friendly smile and waved. Andrew’s eyes narrowed. He did not wave back at Neil.
Okay, so Andrew was clearly not a people person. That was probably for the best. The less Neil had to interact with his neighbor, the better.
Neil continued unloading, not paying Andrew any further attention. If he wanted something from Neil, he could very well ask him himself. Neil had a lot of work to do if he was going to single handedly prepare the store for opening over the next few days. For a few hours, he managed to put Andrew out of his mind.
He could hear the bustle of the street as the other businesses on Foxhole Lane opened for the day. The chatter of people walking down the street, the honking of car horns, the laughter of children playing tag, a man whistling across the street as he prepared to welcome in customers. Neil opened his front door and looked around his new home. The sun beat down heavily, but there was a nice early September breeze keeping him from sweating too much. The scents of fresh flowers and baking bread mingled from the bakery across the street and the flower store next door. Woven baskets of flowers hung from the light posts, the road was inlaid with pebbles, and large trees lined the sidewalk, long branches extending above the quaint, two-story brick buildings. Yellow and orange leaves were scattered along the roads and sidewalks, with bigger piles in the grassy areas between stores. A dog ran past Neil, almost bumping into him in its rush to catch a ball.
According to his research, his closest neighbors consisted of a boutique owned by Allison Reynolds, a bakery owned by Renee Walker, and a gym owned by Danielle and Matthew Boyd-Wilds, as well as Andrew Minyard’s flower shop right next door. As far as he knew, Andrew was the only other magical business in miles. For a town as small as Palmetto, it was quite rare for there to be more than one person with a quirk, much less two magical businesses, and especially two magical businesses right next door to each other. Neil had not purposely moved here to compete with Andrew; this was simply the best deal he could get on short notice. Plus, the store had an apartment upstairs, so he was killing two birds with one stone, buying both a store and a place to stay for one price tag.
Besides, Neil didn’t think he and Andrew would be competing that much. Sure, both of them sold magical products, but for entirely different purposes. Neil’s tattoos were permanent, while Andrew’s plants had a more temporary magic. He’d learned from his father’s experiments that the longer magic lingered in an unchanging form, the weaker it became. So while Neil’s tattoos lasted longer, the magical effects he could offer would be nowhere near as strong as what Andrew’s flowers could provide. Neil could give his patrons a smaller but longer lasting magic boost, while Andrew’s magic gave strong but short effects. Therefore, while the customer bases for his and Andrew’s stores had some crossover, Neil didn’t think either of them were in danger of going out of business over it.
He wasn’t sure how common this knowledge of magic was, so it was possible Andrew didn’t know Neil’s magic was used so differently than his. Nathan Wesninski had collected people with quirks for his inner circle, so Neil had grown up around more magic users than most people would meet in their lives. Through comparing and testing their quirks, Nathan discovered many intricacies of how magic worked, and Neil picked up on some of it through observation.
Maybe that was why Andrew was sizing him up earlier. He saw Neil as his competition, opening a rival magic store right next door. Neil really did not need to cause trouble so quickly, so unless Andrew decided to make them rivals, Neil would just mind his own business.
That plan did not last long.
Because after a few hours of hard work, Neil decided to go for a walk. And when he returned, he found a bouquet of flowers in front of his door.
It was probably a welcome gift from one of the business owners nearby. Most likely Andrew, as he owned a flower shop. Maybe Neil had misjudged him earlier. Maybe Andrew hadn’t meant to ignore Neil; he could've just been socially awkward.
Neil picked up the flowers, only to be immediately assaulted by the rancid stench of rotten eggs and sewage. He dropped the bouquet, but it was no use. The magic had been transferred, so the flowers were just flowers, and the smell had stuck to Neil instead.
A snort came from next door, and Neil turned to see Andrew leaning against the wall, a barely concealed smirk on his lips. “Better luck next time.”
“Fuck you.” Neil spat. “What’s your problem?”
“Right now?” Andrew’s bored gaze roved over his face. “You are.”
“I’ve never even spoken to you!” Neil stomped closer to Andrew, clenching his fists.
Andrew pretended to plug his nose. “You stink.”
Neil’s blood boiled. “Because of you, asshole! And really, a fucking prank? What are you, twelve? I know you’re as short as a middle schooler, but I’m assuming you have to be an adult to own a store. You seriously have nothing better to use your magic on?”
“Ah, short jokes. You’re clearly so much more mature than me.” Andrew said mockingly. “You smell like a middle school boy who has yet to discover the wonders of deodorant.”
Was he being serious? “I’m not an idiot! A magic bouquet showed up in my doorway, and you own a magic flower shop. You obviously did this!”
“Wrong.”
“What, you’re saying you didn’t do it?”
“No, you were right about that part. You are wrong about not being an idiot.”
“You’re unbearable!” Neil shouted. “I don’t know if you think you’re being clever or funny or what, but you’re just an arrogant, immature, insufferable asshole-”
“You really know how to make a guy feel special.” Andrew looked at his black painted nails, no longer paying Neil any attention. “Oh, look at the time. I have work to do. It was a displeasure to meet you, let’s never do this again.”
Andrew spun on his heel and walked back into his store, giving Neil a final two fingered salute before leaving him to stew in his anger. Neil had made a lot of enemies over his twenty two years on Earth, but for once he hadn’t been the one to start this. Still, if Andrew was determined to make Neil his rival, Neil wouldn’t take it lying down.
. . .
Neil went upstairs to his new apartment. It was sparsely furnished, but even just having a bed frame under his mattress or a table with chairs was more than Neil was used to, more than he needed. He’d spent his fair share of nights sleeping on the floor, and much worse floors than the rich brown parquet of his living room. The walls were bare, the couch worn, and in the center was an old wooden table with two plastic chairs. It was more than enough for his purposes.
Neil took a long shower, scrubbing off the last of the stench. He hadn’t went grocery shopping yet, so his kitchen was empty. Fortunately, there was a bakery across the street, so Neil went to get some lunch.
The door chimed when he entered, and Neil was immediately assaulted by the smells of coffee, toast, and melted butter. It made his stomach rumble, and Neil walked up to the register, looking around as he went. The inside of the bakery looked like a rainbow threw up on it: pastel yellow walls with ruffled white trim, light pink and baby blue tables with stained glass flower vases, a handful of soft-looking couches with green cushions. Even the floor was a purple and white checkered pattern. Everything clashed a little, but in a charming, cozy way that was only bolstered by the soft piano music coming through the speakers. Renee Walker's decorating style was eclectic for sure, but somehow, it worked. Not that Neil was a good judge of these things; his apartment was the stuff of interior decorators' nightmares.
“Hello!” The woman behind the counter chirped. This must be Renee Walker. Neil could see that her colorful sense of style extended to herself, as the tips of her hair were dip-dyed a pastel rainbow, her arms were weighed down by chunky bracelets in every color, her nails were painted brightly in pinks and yellows and blues, and she wore a lacy floral dress. “What can I get you?”
She smiled warmly, her voice cheerful and welcoming, her posture polite yet relaxed. She was the very picture of kindness, and Neil tamped down the urge to run. Her faux-innocent demeanor would’ve made him uncomfortable anyway - no one could possibly be that nice without ulterior motives - but the smidge of familiar darkness behind her eyes tripled his suspicion.
Was this his paranoia speaking? Renee had yet to do anything that would warrant such fear. She was still waiting for his order, and Neil couldn’t afford to make two enemies in one day, so he rooted his feet in place and picked a random item off the menu. “A BLT and a black coffee.”
Someone snorted behind him, and even before Neil turned, he had a terrible feeling that he recognized that snort. He was unfortunately correct, because sitting at the nearest table was one Andrew Minyard, Neil’s newest rival, leaning dangerously far back in his chair. He’d ordered some giant sugary monstrosity, drowning in chocolate syrup with more sprinkles than pastry.
“What now?” Neil glared.
Andrew’s expression did not shift in the slightest. “You look like a spooked rabbit. Gonna run?”
Neil had been halfway considering it, but now that Andrew called it out, Neil’s stubbornness won out. He wasn’t going anywhere, not when doing so would prove Andrew right. “I’m not the one who ran from our last conversation.”
“I had better things to do than argue with some smelly idiot.”
“Yet here you are.” Neil said, then immediately realized he’d accidentally admitted to being an idiot.
“At least he’s self aware.” Andrew said, and Neil wanted to slap the smugness off his face.
“At least I don’t have the palate of a spoiled toddler.” Neil shot back. “Are you trying to give yourself a heart attack?”
“It would be one way of getting out of this mind-numbing conversation.”
“This is the third time you’ve complained about it, and yet you keep talking to me. Nothing is forcing you to respond.”
“Your stupidity astounds me.”
“And half of your insults are just calling me dumb. Are you already running out of ideas? It's been less than a day.”
“Ahem.” Renee cleared her throat. Neil had almost forgotten he and Andrew were in public. Half the people in the cafe were watching them. Neil was really failing at making a good first impression. At least Renee didn’t seem judgmental. If anything, she looked a little amused, raising an eyebrow at Andrew. “Here’s your food.”
Neil thanked her and paid, finding a table on the opposite end of the bakery. He felt Andrew’s stare boring into the back of his head, and he did his best to ignore it. Andrew seemed determined to provoke him, and Neil wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
“What was that?” Someone from the next table over asked. Neil wasn’t sure if the man was talking to him, so he didn’t respond.
“Oh, my bad, I should probably introduce myself!” The man kept talking. He was the opposite of Neil, in that everything about him drew attention, from his booming voice to his spiky hair to his bright smile. Was everyone in this town unnaturally friendly? Aside from Andrew, of course. It occurred to Neil that from what he’d seen so far, he probably had more in common with Andrew than anyone else on Foxhole Lane. The idea was horrifying.
“Are you talking to me?” Neil finally asked.
The man’s smile widened. “Yup! My name is Matt. I don’t recognize you. Are you new in town?”
Neil supposed he should’ve expected this when moving to such a tiny town where everybody knew each other. He wondered how many times he’d have this exact same conversation over the next few weeks. “I just moved in across the street. I’m Neil.”
“Oh, you’re the one opening the new tattoo parlor!” Matt seemed to speak in exclamation points, his every word loud and excited. “That’s how you met Andrew?”
“He stink bombed me with his magic flowers.”
Matt laughed. “That’s Andrew for you.”
“Is he always like this?” Neil asked. He didn’t think so; Andrew’s hatred of him seemed personal for some reason.
“Kind of.” Matt said. “He’s always an asshole, but he usually just ignores everyone. I don’t know why he’s paying attention to you. Maybe just because you’re new here?”
“Maybe.” Neil hoped that was the case. If Andrew was only provoking him because he was new, then the novelty would wear off pretty soon. Still, Neil didn't like being seen as some shiny new toy for Andrew to play with.
Matt chattered away while Neil ate his lunch, and Neil retained maybe a fifth of it, but he was surprised to find that the company was kind of nice. Matt didn't seem too disappointed with Neil's short responses, and he did have some useful information about some of Neil's neighbors. Neil had gotten the basics from his research, but Matt had the sort of personal details you couldn't find online, and Neil filed them away just in case. He didn't expect he'd need them; aside from Andrew, the other business owners on Foxhole Lane seemed to be nice enough.
After lunch, Neil returned to his store to continue unpacking. He didn't have any more run-ins with Andrew, and almost managed to forget about him.
And then night fell and Neil went up to his apartment, and Andrew chose that moment to start blasting music at top volume. The walls between their apartments were very thin, as the building had originally just been one big house, so Neil could hear everything. The instruments consisted of drums and electric guitar, and the vocals consisted of more screaming than singing. Did Andrew actually listen to this, or was he just playing it to get on Neil's nerves?
Neil banged on the boarded up door that connected their apartments, but either Andrew couldn't hear him or he was purposely ignoring him. Both seemed equally likely; Andrew was enough of an asshole to ignore Neil, but his music was loud enough that he probably couldn't hear his own footsteps, much less Neil's knocking.
"HEY!" Neil shouted. "If you don't turn that off-"
The music somehow became even louder. Neil hadn't thought the volume could be turned up any higher. Did Andrew have multiple speakers in there?
Fuck this. Neil grabbed a pillow and blanket and went down to his store, opting to sleep on the floor. He could still hear the music from here, but it was a bit quieter, and Neil tried tuning it out.
It didn't work. Neil lay awake until the music turned off around three in the morning, and he spent that entire time fantasizing about getting his revenge in the morning.