Chapter Text
"Wings Wouldn't Help You Down."
He still hadn't opened it. He just stared. His student flat was crowded with books to read and letters to write and scripts to study, countless things to occupy him, and yet, Neil stared silently at the piece of paper in his hand.
It had been folded many times and creased at the corners.
Only the title was visible, the rest hidden beneath a fold.
"Wings Wouldn't Help You Down."
It had to be a poem. He was sure of it.
Todd was a poet.
The poet and the actor. Well, aspiring actor.
God damn it, he needed to open this paper.
"Wings Wouldn't Help You Down.
We are dreaming of tomorrow and tomorrow isn't coming.
We are dreaming of a glory we don't really want.
We are dreaming of a new day when the new day's here already.
We are running from the battle when it's one that must be fought.
We are-"
And here there were several crossings out, furious, jagged lines across the page. As if the writer had run out of steam.
Or inspiration.
Definitely a poem. And a beautiful one at that.
Neil had been right, Todd was a poet.
Todd was a brilliant poet.
Neil quietly folded the paper back up, tracing the ink with his finger. Todd must have been writing this before he came into the café. Before the toaster incident.
Todd was a poet.
Neil's heart gave a peculiar flutter at the thought. A poet.
Not just a poet. The poet.
The poet to end all poets.
Fucking hell, Neil was down bad.
───────
Todd seemed slightly distracted as Neil walked into the café later that day. It was near closing time, so the place wasn't that full and yet, his eyes kept darting to the countertops, to random scraps of paper floating across tables. Neil knew he was looking for his poem.
His gorgeous, beautiful poem.
"Just like him." Neil thought, and his eyes widened slightly.
Walking up to Todd was the hardest thing he had done in a long while. His legs felt like lead as he started to move, willing himself to look anywhere but at Todd's green eyes and his crooked smile.
Todd greeted him with a croissant.
It was a pistachio croissant.
The best type of croissant.
Neil was about to get on his knees and propose right there and then. How did he know? How did he know that Neil craved those croissants every single waking second of his day.
Black magic.
Must be it.
Meeks brushed past with a knowing look directed at Neil, pulling a reluctant looking Pitts by his cardigan sleeve.
"If you don't hurry, we'll miss it."
"But my radio-"
"Screw your radio."
Meeks reached over to fix Pitts' top shirt button and to yank his crimson apron over his head. And Neil could have sworn he saw a blush appear on the taller boy's cheeks. He would have to interrogate Pitts on that subject later.
For now though, he watched as they ran off into the steadily falling snow, Meeks' glasses flashing as he threw his head back and roared at whatever Pitts had just said.
"Oh, my man is obsessed." said Charlie, appearing suddenly behind Todd, who jumped about a foot in the air. Neil didn't know which "man" he was talking about.
He let out a low breath of air as Charlie handed the keys to Todd, with the instructions to "lock up, nick a pastry and get the hell out of here."
And then it was just them.
The actor and the poet.
The poet and the actor.
Well, aspiring actor.
Todd was still searching around for his paper, muttering under his breath. Neil quietly consumed his heavenly pistachio croissant.
Watching Todd was like watching a baby deer. Constantly afraid of what might come at him next. He was tentative, scared but almost ethereal in the way he moved from place to place. He seemed to glide.
Neil was sure even the most skilled ballerinas could not achieve the level of grace Todd radiated.
Having finished the croissant from god, he got up, brushing the crumbs off his trousers. Todd was still determinedly looking for that poem.
The poem.
And as Neil walked out, with a cheery wave of goodbye, if he happened to place the paper in Todd's coat pocket, well, that wasn't anyone's business, was it.
And if he happened to look back before he was out of sight of the window, and if he so happened to catch a glimpse of Todd with the biggest smile on his face as he stared at something clutched in his hand, well.
He had earned the right to admire surely.
And Todd was the most radiant sight he had ever laid eyes upon.
In fact, he was so lost in thought that he didn't register that other people would be walking on the pavement as well. He almost walked straight into a man, and jumped out of the way just in time.
"Sorr-"
His apology caught in his throat. He knew this man.
"Father?"