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Late nights in Welton Academy, lovingly nicknamed Hellton by students and some staff (more specifically Mr. Keating), were typically spent studying, reading, sleeping, or sneaking out. Tonight however was a rare night, many students were able to take a night off of their usual schedule, so, many spent the night with friends, some sat in the study room catching up on homework or just quietly reading. Others went out for drinks or to go to a party, but Neil Perry and (Y/F/N)? They did something that no one else did, they went and laid out under the stars, discussing anything and everything they could think of.
"I never really took notice of how beautiful the stars are out here. I guess I was just, so busy with school that I never stopped-just for a second to see how beautiful they are, you know?" Neil stared up at the stars in the sky, a soft smile on his face as he admired its beauty, oblivious of the slight twinge of sadness that had bled into (Y/N)'s normally bright and beautiful smile. "Yeah, I guess you were just" They hesitated slightly, reflecting on how this situation applied to them a little too perfectly, "too busy to notice." Neil continued to look up at the sky, but his smile faltered slightly at the slight sound of sadness in (Y/N)'s voice before he eventually continued. "Yeah I mean, the galaxy, the stars, it's just so crazy to think about how far away it all is, how our galaxy is endless, how our galaxy is part of a galaxy-" Neil stopped himself, laughing to himself slightly, and turning to (Y/N) before continuing "I mean just think about it, we are so small. This galaxy, this world, this planet, us. We are so insanely insignificant and small in the grand scheme of things. Isn't that crazy?"
"I-yeah but I think it's more scary than crazy. Don't you? Just think about it, everything you do, your biggest accomplishment, your proudest moment, every action you do is like the most minuscule ripple in the river you can think of. Its-it's awful to think about, feeling so insignificant, having no power, I hate it." Neil wasted no time in answering with the perfect rebuttal to (Y/N)'s answer, "No, I think it's liberating. Just- just listen to what I have to say, everything you do matters so little in the grand scheme of things. It's like what you said, it's the most minuscule ripple, so why should I worry about what I do? I should live life the way I want to, I should do what makes my soul happy and you know what, " With a wide grin on his lips, he stared directly into (Y/N)'s eyes, right before he brought his hands to his mouth, readying a yell. "Screw anyone who gets in the way of that! It's my life! I'll do what I want with it!"
Letting out a laugh he whooped, punching his hand into the air in celebration, it wasn't long before (Y/N) joined him, choosing to forget their relationship (and possibly existential) troubles and just enjoy their time with Neil. (Y/N)'s laughter filled the air as Neil pulled them up, "Come on!", he laughed excitedly, pulling them along as he started to run. His warm hand sat comfortably in (Y/n)'s, a welcome feeling that left butterflies in their stomach. Neil practically dragged (Y/N) along, jogging slightly and throwing his arms up in the air, his carefree yells and whoops (one could even say yawps) of excitement echoed around them, blending perfectly with (Y/N)'s own shrieks of laughter and occasional cheers. Collapsing on the lush grass of Hellton Acamedy, their laughter didn't stop, only becoming slightly more breathless.
Turning towards (Y/N), Neil was blown away by their beauty, their hair was mused and their cheeks were slightly flushed from the laughing and yelling from before. Their eyes were squeezed shut, crinkling around the corners as a cheek hurting smile caressed their lips, one more laugh escaping them. Finally, their gaze met, Neil's deep brown eyes, and their own (Y/E/C), both gazes were filled with a mixture of euphoria, adoration, love, and longing, although both had a hard time seeing the last in the other.
When (Y/N) had looked over at Neil, the look in his eyes had sparked something in them, something that reminded them of what he had said before when they were discussing their place and size in the universe, they remembered clearly now, yes, they remembered quite clearly. Those words, those that sat in their head and began to fester, growing in strength, giving them strength, building up their confidence to finally say the words that they had wanted to say for months and months and months and, oh.
They thought of the words he had said proudly before filling their head, the words he had declared loudly into the deep black of night while staring into their eyes, "I should do what makes my soul happy." It was those words that had settled themselves inside their head and gave them the confidence to finally tell him, although, not in the best way, or in the way they probably would've liked.
Staring into Neil's eyes, they felt the words beginning to force their way out, pushing and clawing and finally making an escape.
"I love you, Neil." They had blurted it out with no care, the conversation they had before filling them with confidence, leaving no space to worry. They giggled slightly, turning and rolling onto their back, repeating what they said: "I love you, Neil, I love you so much and I have wanted to say that for so long." They laughed giddily, still feeling the adrenaline and happiness carousing through their body.
Neil stared at (Y/N), a look of shock seemingly permanently plastered on his face. A color similar to that of perfectly ripe strawberries made its way onto his cheeks, the confession digging deep into his mind and refusing to leave.
I told Neil, I finally told him that I love him!! Oh shit...WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST DO?!! While Neil was busy freaking out over their confession, (Y/N) had just realized what they had said, guess the adrenaline had finally worn off, huh? Realizing the situation, they began to spiral, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I-I don't know what I was thinking, I was just so happy and I remembered what you had said before about doing what makes your soul happy and I just blurted it out and," their eyes began to get glossy, tears brewing up in their eyes as the panic continued to grow in their chest, their heart beating faster and faster.
A continuous string of panicked apologies left their lips, and as they went on, it became increasingly more obvious to Neil that they weren't going to stop anytime soon, nor by any will of their own. They continued to apologize, completely unaware of the brown eyes boring into them. The, now seemingly endless, apologies continued to flood out of (Y/N)'s mouth, they had become completely senseless to the world around them, hyper fixated on what the actual fuck they had just said to Neil, their crush, and they just outright said it like an absolute idiot! He must hate them now and what if he tells the poets? He's not going to want to be my friend anymore, and he probably thinks I'm a freak, and oh god-
He grabbed onto their shoulders, facing their body towards him, however, they still refused to meet his gaze, “(Y/N)! Look at me, look at me. ” He shifted one of his hands from their position on (Y/N)‘s shoulder and used it to gently tilt their face upwards, effectively making it so there was no way not to look at Neil.
"I love you." Neil stared intensely into (Y/N)'s eyes, which meant that he got to see firsthand the pure shock in their eyes at his words. He never let go of their face, letting them process the words, waiting patiently for them to regain their ability to form words again. Swallowing deeply, (Y/N) grabbed onto the hand that was cradling their cheek, "Y-you love me? As in, you love me the way I love you?"
He laughed, "Yes!" after those words a smile so big that it hurt appeared on (Y/N)'s face, sheer joy reflecting in their smile and eyes. They laughed, all signs of tears slowly disappearing from their eyes, and pulled Neil into a hug, burying their head into the crook of his neck. Immediately, they were enveloped by the smell of chocolate (for some reason), old books, and fireplace smoke (probably from the hours spent slaving over chemistry in the study hall) that was all so undeniably him .
Regretfully emerging from Neil's neck, they looked at each other with adoring expressions mirrored on one another's faces. Up close, (Y/N) could really see the little details in Neil's face, more specifically the little flecks of seemingly gold in his eyes, and the light freckles across his nose and cheeks that you would only see if you were looking for them, or if the sun shined just right. The little bit of hair that had fallen out of place and into his eyes was practically begging for them to fix it, and without even realizing it, they had lifted their hand up and tucked it behind his ear.
The hand lingered, barely touching his skin, both of their breaths were bated, hyper-aware of their proximity to one another, trying to dictate what move will be made next. Neil moved first, leaning in slightly, enough so that they would be able to move away if they wanted to. His hand came to gently rest on their hip, both moving closer until finally, their lips connected.
The kiss was short but sweet, both reveling in each other's presence. (Y/N) felt Neil smile against their lips, happiness practically leeched from one another, months of longing, lingering glances, and touches had finally reached their end, the question of where their relationship status was at now did not need to be answered.
Reluctantly separating, they looked at one another, bright smiles adorning their faces. (Y/N) laughed quietly, a realization making itself known to them, "You know that this means that Charlie wins the bet right?"
"Shit."