Andy
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| Full Name: Andrew Richard Bestwick |
| Age: 26 years | Gender: Male (he/him) |
| Orientation: Aromantic Asexual |
| Occupation: Plant nursery assistant |
| Height and build: 5'7" ~190 lbs |
Andy's Favourites!
Family
- Howard Levitt (partner)
- Lilly Bestwick (mother)
- Richard Bestwick (father)
- Rosemary (auntie)
Bio
Andy was born in a small village in Greater London as an only child to Lilly and Peter Bestwick. He and his family moved to the north of England when he was about to start secondary school (11 years old). He enrolled in a new school where he did not make many friends. College (16-18 years old) would prove not to be much of an improvement.
Andy spent his turbulent teenage years wondering a lot of things about himself. He felt fundamentally flawed somehow. The older he got, the more conspicuous he felt for never having so much as a little crush. Figuring he must be gay, he had a short-lived, confusing relationship with a boy in college, which only left him more perplexed by his own identity.
When Andy finished college, he got his first job at a small independent supermarket. It was there that he would meet Howard, and they were fast friends, much to Andy's surprise. Howard was a supervisor at the supermarket, and he'd been assigned the task of training Andy -- if not for this, Andy doubted they would have gotten to know each other at all. Howard towered over him, and he had a shaved head, and didn't look particularly cheerful most of the time. Yet, before long, they would be using any excuse to work together during their shifts.
It was always the plan for Andy to go to university after the summer, to study plant biology. Plants have always been a major passion of his, and his dad wanted him to get a "good" job, so he thought something like an environmental scientist would satisfy them both.
However, Andy's mental health plummeted near-immediately after moving into student accommodation. He didn't connect with any of his flatmates, and tried his very best to sit at the back of the lecture hall and speak to no-one when he went to his classes. He was struggling to keep up academically. A few months into the course, he would spend most days isolated in his room, skipping as many classes as he could get away with. His only relief was when he got to go to his part-time job and spend time with Howard.
Andy really hadn't been taking very good care of himself; between being too anxious to use the communal kitchen and too down on himself to have an appetite, he had been sustaining himself mainly on biscuits and crackers. It finally came to a head when he fainted at work one day. Howard had been expressing concern for him for a while, but this time he couldn't deny it. He told Howard everything: about how he hated university, how he was failing his course, how he feared what his dad would do if he dropped out, and how Howard was his only friend.
Howard suggested (insisted) that Andy should stay at his house, at least for that night. It was there that he would meet Howard's mum Ciara, and his younger brother Stan. Despite Andy having little to say, Ciara took an immediate liking to him. He stayed there for a couple nights before he was able to face everything.
Andy had to have some conversations with the university, and they agreed to let him repeat his first year. He moved back home, and his dad, predictably, did not take the news well. Home was a hostile environment, moreso than it had been before, and Andy started staying at Howard's more and more to avoid seeing his dad. After a particularly bad row, it had been the final straw for his mum too, Lilly, and she went to live with her sister Rosemary. Andy would live between here and Howard's house for the next several months.
Coming up to the new university year, Howard suggested that he and Andy could rent someplace close to Andy's campus. They found a small terraced house in the student district that fitted comfortably into their budget.
Andy's second attempt at getting a degree went much better; although it was still a struggle academically, he had more of a support system and a comfortable space to exist in. He met a friend there, Alessia, who got to know Howard too over time. Although Andy and Howard's relationship was as yet undefined, she often referred to them as an old married couple. They naturally settled into something of a QPR as it slowly clicked for Andy that he was aromantic and asexual just like Howard.
After university, they saved up for a deposit on a little terraced house. Andy left his job at the supermarket and now works at a garden centre on the same complex as the restaurant where Howard works as a chef. They have two dogs, a jack russell mix called Basil and a staffy mix called... I'm not sure yet.
Miscellaneous Facts
- Andy is autistic and has ADHD. He was diagnosed in young adulthood, after realising he had a lot in common with Howard, who is also autistic.
- He has been playing piano from a young age and likes to compose his own music from time to time.Hereis a playlist i made of the style of piano music he plays.
- He likes creative writing. He's inspired by fantasy stories like Lord of the Rings as well as mythology and folklore. He has a writing project he's been working on since he was maybe a preteen. He's not planning on publishing any of it.