Nicky’s really into joke books. Erik sends him one for his birthday during his final year of college and he can’t stop reading them out to the Foxes at any given opportunity.
His sole mission in life becomes to make Andrew smile at one of his terrible jokes. He pops up, book in hand, going, “hey Andrew, what kind of cheese can you use to hide a horse?
Neil’s never heard crappy jokes like this before; he never had the opportunity while on the run to be exposed to mindless comedy. He finds them hilarious, and giggles at them with a childlike joy. He’s usually in the room when Nicky’s trying (and failing) to involve Andrew in a Knock Knock joke, and starts joining in from a corner in order to hear the terrible punchline.
Andrew doesn’t care about Nicky’s annoying, failed attempts to make him smile as long as he keeps coaxing that gleeful laughter out of Neil.
Neil starts researching his own jokes and telling them to Andrew when they’re alone. Andrew doesn’t mind nearly as much as he thought he would, and even indulges Neil with a “who’s there?” on occasion.
One day they’re in the locker room together and Andrew goes, in the most deadpan voice, “what’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?”
Neil just blinks at him, because he’s sure Andrew just started telling him a joke. “What’s the difference?” he asks finally.
Andrew sits across from him and leans back against the lockers. “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
And Neil gets it. And it’s just so Andrew. And he is delighted. He grins so wide he thinks his face might crack as his shoulders shake with silent laughter, partly at the joke but mainly at the joy he feels staring at the person who told it.
And Andrew smiles right back at him.
Meanwhile, Nicky is backing away from the locker room door silently, before booking it back to the rest of the foxes, complaining, “of course Andrew would only laugh at his own jokes,” and, “I’ve been trying for months, but he’ll smile for Neil at the drop of a hat. I’m his cousin.”
And although he doesn’t understand the Andrew he sees with Neil, he’s just so happy that he exists. God knows they both deserve it.
