Work Text:
The sun was slowly retreating beyond the horizon, casting an orange hue over the school grounds. The time of day, known as the gloaming by the Scottish, when the world started to fall asleep, but was not quite ready to go to rest. The dim, yet beautiful light, made its way through the window of Neil and Todd’s dorm room, casting warm shadows on their weary faces. Neil sat on the windowsill, head stuck in his copy of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, muttering his lines quietly to himself. Todd lay quietly on his bed, his back against the wall, pretending to read some book on the Romantic poets, but his gaze rarely left the side of the other boy’s face, enraptured by the way his features shone in the gloaming light, and the way his mouth twitched as he read, the smile that reached his eyes and shone like the stars. Todd couldn’t escape the fact that he was irreparably, undeniably, helplessly in love. They sat like this for a long while, the comfortable silence and soft light dragging the minutes out, lengthening the moment, which although nothing out of the ordinary, was a perfect one for both of the boys. They were safe, in their sanctuary, in each other’s presence, the outside world could wait.
After a while, what could’ve been minutes, or an hour, Neil finally looked up from his script and over to Todd’s bed, he noticed, how Todd’s eyes quickly darted down to his own book, making a play of reading. Neil knew the boy had been looking at him, and although he would never say for fear of embarrassing the boy, saw the way the page hadn’t been turned in quite some time. Neil wondered why this knowledge filled him with more warmth than the common room fireplace ever could. He was very used to people watching him; to having a spotlight on him, but something about that spotlight shining from Todd’s eyes made it seem so special, and so rare. He was being seen, truly seen, as Neil and not as the dutiful son, or the charismatic friend, and it felt like rebirth. From the first time they met, Neil had felt safe around Todd, meeting him had felt like coming home, and sometimes it felt like Todd was the only person in the world who truly knew him, no walls hiding the truth, and this didn’t scare him, it excited him. All Neil wanted was for him too to see Todd, and to know him on every level. He was only 17, not truly sure of what love is, but he thought that this was it, the desire to know and be known. Neil snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked back down at the script, he had been trying that evening to memorise the final soliloquy, the part he was most anxious about getting right, and in a moment of bravery, he decided to test out the performance on Todd.
“Hey,” Neil said, finally breaking their silence, Todd looked up at him quickly, looking like a deer caught in headlights, “would you mind watching the last part of the play, it’s just I’ve been trying so hard to memorise it and I want to get it right and I trust your judgement.”
Todd looked at Neil’s face, seeing the enthusiasm and excitement, and slight fear written across it and smiled “Of course.”, Todd could never say no to Neil.
Neil hopped off the ledge quickly, dramatically and closed his eyes, breathing a deep breathe in, transforming himself from Neil to Puck. Todd watched in amazement, he hadn’t even uttered a word yet, and he was still completely enraptured. Neil was good, and not just because Todd was in love with him. Neil then opened his eyes, which shone with passion, and began to speak.
“If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.”
As Neil spoke, or rather Puck spoke, his voice fell perfectly into rhythm, the words spoken as if he truly was Puck, that Neil had never existed. Todd stared in awe, his heart bursting with pride. Neil was truly impressive.
“Well, how did I do?” Neil asked, casually, ignorant of the way his performance had blown the other boy away.
“You, you were amazing Neil.” Todd replied, quietly, shyly, his eyes unable to look away.
Neil responded by breaking out into his typical blinding smile, and he pulled Todd, gently off of his bed and thrust his arms around him in a hug.
“Thank you.” Neil whispered into his ear, as Todd’s arms wrapped round Neil’s back, returning the hug, both their hearts pumping loudly with adrenaline, and love.
The hug seemed to last an eternity, but in reality, was only a mere minute. The moment over as soon as it started. Todd couldn’t look Neil in the eye, and he was aware his face had started to turn pink, the embarrassment of which only worsened his blush. Seeing Todd so flustered, because of him, made Neil feel warm, and almost flustered himself, instead of turning bashful too, Neil used this to let himself be bold, choosing to tease (flirt with) the other boy over it.
“Toddy, have I made you blush?” Neil said with a smirk, “Good thing pink is your colour.”
The boys hadn’t moved far apart after breaking contact and for all his feigned confidence, Neil’s heart was beating furiously fast, as if it wanted to escape and hop over into Todd’s chest, and Todd could hear it. Of course, Todd could see through Neil’s bravado and see that he was not the only flustered one, for Todd was always able to see through Neil. This didn’t make him shy, not this time, and Todd decided it was his turn to be bold. His turn to finally carpe diem and make his life extraordinary.
So that is what he did, Todd bravely bridged the gap between them and quickly placed his lips on Neil’s smirk, causing the boy to freeze in shock. For a moment, all Todd felt was regret, worried he had grossly misread the situation, and that their friendship would be over, but just as he was about to pull away and apologise, Neil came back to life. Suddenly, he was being kissed back, Neil moved his hands to the back of Todd’s head, stroking his hair gently and deepened the kiss. The kiss was awkward, needy, their hands clammy and their hearts pounding, but it was also magical. Both boys didn’t quite realise how much they wanted it until it started, lips entangled, souls and hearts becoming one. Eventually, they pulled apart, faces flush.
“You amaze me Todd,” Neil said grinning, feeling giddy from his touch “Is it weird if I told you I think I am in love with you?”
Todd looked into his eyes, kept the contact, felt the electricity surging between them and whispered, not out of fear but intimacy, “No Neil, I think I might love you too.”
As the sun finally set, and the orange light turned to blue, the two boys continued to kiss, and smile and laugh under the watchful eyes of the moonlight. In this moment, on this night everything was perfect, they were safe in their sanctuary, the sanctuary of each other, and it seemed as though all their dreams had come true.