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Todd and Neil have two cats, a calico and a ginger cat. Todd wakes up every morning and feeds them while he observes how they get their whiskers full with crumbs.
Neil drinks coffee and reads the newspaper, he's not that interested in news, he just wants to make the role of a grown adult. Todd water the plants, it makes him feel like it's a complete home now, remembering all the plants that his mother had.
Plants, cats, a bed for two, a daily routine, morning coffee, a big collection of books and an apartment for them. Kisses in the morning, kisses on the afternoon, kisses at night before sleep
They were like a married couple without a ring in their fingers. They were like a married couple behind the curtains.
They didn't care about hidding themselves, it was poetic in some way.
⸺⸺⸺
They ran away years ago, it's something that they still remember after years later. Between the snow, the winter looked like a warm season, and they felt free, they were happy that the sense of freedom would last long and not just some minutes.
Both remember the excitement, their hands tingling, the rush, their silly smiles. Their hearts beating hard, even before they started to run with two suitcases, without knowing where to go, without knowing what kind of experiences they would face.
Neil escaped from home, after contemplating his father's gun in his shaky and sweaty hands, feeling some tears sliding through his face. He felt so trapped, inside a cage. All his body had a weird feeling, a shiver. His stomach feel empty and heavy at the same time. Thinking about the future made him feel desesperate, hopeless, lost... All the synonyms you could think. And contempled death for a while, it would be a good escape, right? His head was full of all those thoughts, he imagined the scene where he died, the scene where his parents would find him, on the ground, without his heart beating, but at least he would feel calmer.
Before making a decision, he started to think about all the things he would left behind. His family would be okay, his father didn't loved him, his mother would suffer but it would be the best for them; a waste of money less. Their friends would be good too, in the future they would remember all the good times, everything would be okay. And Todd... God, he never told him how he felt.
That thought made him lose himself for a while. He didn't confessed. He wanted to, days ago, but he didn't knew if Todd loved him back. He didn't even knew if Todd liked boys, Neil tried to find out in a subtile way. When Todd was helping him to practice his lines for the play, Neil suggested him to go to the rehearsals.
“Come on. There's girls. The girl who plays Hermia is incredible” Neil said that time, waiting for an answer that helped him to know something.
“Oh yeah? What she looks like?” Todd said. A normal and common answer but it wasn't the answer that Neil needed.
Thinking of Todd, his pretty and bright eyes, his shyness, his energy and laughs when they were together, the moments that made him feel alive, those all memories made Neil ease his suicidal thoughts. He was desesperated, it was understandable, hours ago his father told him that he wouldn't go to Welton anymore, and he would be in a military school, a whole nightmare. But the boy made him feel calm, enough to think better. He could run away. Even if it meant giving up the life he already knew, the financial help from his father, the opportunity to study at a good university. But after that night, he understood that his father didn't really supported him, he wasn't thinking about his son but himself. Neil would have to work hard, yes, but he would be doing what he wants. He wanted to get on stage, act like someone different, lose himself in his role, let all of his effort out into something that he really loves. ¡Yes! This was the answer. But before running far away from there, he had to make something first. Say goodbye to Todd.
He ran away from home with a suitcase full of his clothes, he also had a piggy bank full of savings that he broke when he was a few blocks away from home. Silently, full of mudd and snow, he snuck into the dorm building and then, when he was at his dorm door, he let out a sigh. He entered and he knelt before a sleepy Todd, he began to shake softly his shoulder, waiting to him for wake up. Todd frowned while sleeping, who was the person who was not letting him sleep?
“Todd, wake up” Neil whispered.
The blonde boy recognised the voice, it was Neil! He opened his eyes. Before he felt asleep, his last thought was about his friend, he was worried, his dad seemed mad, and the look in Neil's eyes was... Sad. Todd remembered seeing the car moving away and the feeling of being worried growing up in his stomach. And now, the boy was in front of him, with his cheeks red, thanks to the cold winter wind.
“Neil...” said Todd after sitting in the edge of his bed. “Are you okay?”
“It wouldn't be the word I would use, but I'm fine” Neil answered, and let out another sigh. “I came to say goodbye...”
“Wh-- Goodbye? Why?” he frowned again, in confusion.
“I have to run. My dad doesn't like the idea of me dreaming of pursuing an acting career. So his idea is to send me to a military school... So whether I run away or not, I'd have to say goodbye anyway.”
Todd didn't knew what to say, their eyes met for a while. Neil wanted to let a tender laugh out because of the sad puppy eyes that Todd had, he was really so cute. Neil wanted to confess, at least he would have an answer before running away.
“I also came to say something before I go.”
“What it is?” asked Todd, still with his sad eyes.
“Don't hate me for this, but I have to get it off my chest”, he was getting nervous, his fingers were tingling. “I like you. Since the day you came, since I saw you being so shy, so in your own world... And all the times together, made me realize that I like boys, and I like you”.
Again, Todd didn't knew what to say. In a moment, he was sleeping, without knowing that his dear friend would come here to say goodbye, and now he's confessing, he was processing everything. Neil felt that he didn't loved him back, it was okay, at least felt less pressure on his chest. Neil stood up, Todd's gaze followed him, but the brunette boy avoided looking at him.
“You don't have to say anything...”
“No, wait--” Todd said quickly. “Let me say something.”
Neil looked at him, his eyes weren't sad anymore.
“I... I like you too, Neil” said the boy, and then he stood up, they were face to face. “I was afraid to accept it. But these days, I just let myself feel...”
Neil's lips formed a small smile, he couldn't believe what he heard. Todd couldn't believe that at that moment he had confessed, neither could he believe that it was reciprocal.
“I don't want you to go... ” Todd said, worried about never see again the boy he loved, now that they just said what they felt.
“I don't want to go either... ” said Neil with a sad smile, and then, an idea came into his head. “Todd.”
“Yeah?”
“Why don't we run away together?”
“R-run away?” he stuttered a little. “Are-- are you sure?”
“Of course I am!” Neil exclaimed, trying not to be loud. And then he grabbed Todd's hands, stroking them with his thumbs. “I would love to run away with you by my side. We could be happy together, away from this place... Making our lives something that we like, like it should be.”
“If you put it that way... It sounds exciting” Todd smiled.
“Then we should do it”. Neil was smiling too.
Todd started packing his clothes, he also had savings with him, he decided not to leave them at home, not knowing in the past that he was going to run away one day. Neil just sat watching the view outside the window while the blonde packed up. The other boy had finished and closed his suitcase, then began to dress.
“Outside is so cold, believe me, I came here with my butt cheeks frozen” said Neil and then he let out a small laugh, Todd smiled. “So you should use gloves and all of that”.
While Todd was putting his gloves on, Neil was making a note for the poets. It was short. A goodbye for now. When they were ready to go, Neil stood up near to Todd, who was buttoning his coat.
“Hey...” Neil said.
“What?” said Todd.
Neil took the boy's face in his hands and kissed his lips, in an inexperienced but tender way. It didn't matter if they knew how to kiss or not, it was a show of love that they had both been waiting for. The sensation of life and emotion ran through their bodies, that sensation made them see that everything would be fine. Probably a very difficult road was coming, but the two would be together, everything would be fine. Neither of them had ever felt as much love as at that very moment, and it was wonderful. From the moment after the play, everything had been different, as if they were living another life or as if another stage of life was beginning. It had started in a dramatic way, and then went to a more romantic scene ... It was like a play where both were the protagonists, a play with a happy ending.
“Thanks for making me feel alive again” asked Neil after the kiss. “Ready to go?”.
“Yeah, ready” answered Todd with a smile and his cheeks flushed.
They left the bedroom carefully. Before leaving the building, Neil left the note under Charlie's bedroom door. It was a short note that in the morning he would read, it said: «Poets, I hope our paths intertwine soon, some day. I look forward to that moment. — Neil and Todd.» Quickly after Charlie read that note, he showed it to the other poets. It was a farewell, his friends had fled. They wondered where they were, where they had gone and what unleashed that decision. They just wished they were okay.
“I hope our paths intertwine soon too” said Charlie, reading the note one more time.
⸺⸺⸺
They ran away years ago, it's something that they still remember. After watering the plants, Todd sat next to Neil, who put the newspaper aside after reading the cartoon section. Neil put his arm around Todd and the blonde laid his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. They watched their cats play in front of them.
“That is the closest we will have to having children” Todd said.
"Yeah... and sometimes we have to separate them when they fight, so it's a whole experience” said Neil while he smiles, Todd smiled too.
Definitely, their lives got better when they ran away. It was a hard path, they saw it coming. But at least, it was worth it. They were living the life they wanted, alongside friends who supported them, luckily, after so long, their path intertwined with their friends paths, whom they had not seen for a long time, everyone was happy to meet again and made sure to never lose contact. They both were doing what they liked; Neil was acting in small plays with the leading role, he felt that he was getting closer and closer to have a role in a bigger play, and his instincts were right. Todd was writing, his first book had been a success although it had not been that much recognized, the second was, and the third was going to be even more recognized. They were both paving the way to their dreams, step by step, and the best of all is that they were about to achieve it.