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The breaking point

So you mentioned briefly in another ask that Neil and Andrew's relationship couldn't have recovered if the protection thing had still been in effect when Neil got taken by his father's parents/Andrew failed to protect him. Are there any other circumstances in which the damage to their relationship would have been irreparable? Or if there's too many to list, what would have been the easiest ways for their relationship to get damaged beyond repair?

Yeah– if Neil hadn't revoked Andrew's protection and then he'd let that countdown happen, there'd be no going back or repairing that broken trust. Andrew still wouldn't have let the FBI keep Neil, but he'd have relegating Neil to the same icy distant role Aaron landed in. ((Aaron, see, made the same mistake–exacting a promise from Andrew and then refusing to see it through.))

TBH, once Andrew & Neil lock into their relationship there's very little that could pry them apart. There were missteps they could have taken along the way regarding Andrew's medication, the aftermath of the mess that was Drake, Neil not respecting Andrew's boundaries, Andrew warned off Neil more emphatically by Kevin, Nicky successfully hooking Neil up with someone else along the way, etc etc etc– little things that, if done early enough in the school year, would have slowly set them a little apart.

But once Nathaniel is laid to rest that's pretty much it, there's no going back. The only things that could break them up are things neither of them would ever consider doing–Neil spilling Andrew's secrets & belittling them, or Andrew killing one of the original Foxes–so they're guaranteed to make it work the rest of their lives.

They deserve that much, at least, considering what it took them to get to this point.

Til death do us part