Work Text:
"I'm growing old," 53-year-old Neil Perry mumbled to himself as he ran his slender, long-fingered left hand through his thinning, greying hair, as he took a long, hard look at himself in his bathroom mirror.
"No, you're not!" spoke a soft, silken voice from behind him.
Neil shuddered slightly, startled by the sudden sound of the voice speaking from behind him. A voice that he knew so very well. A voice from 36 years ago. And then he saw him.
Behind his own reflection in the mirror, Neil suddenly saw another reflection. The reflection of an angelic, cherubic, blue-eyed, blond-haired face. The face of a softly and shyly smiling seventeen-year-old schoolboy. The face of Todd Anderson.
"Todd! Is that you? Oh, Todd, Todd, Todd! Is that really you?" Neil found his eyes turning moist with overbrimming joy.
"Yes, Neil. It's me. So, what were you saying about growing old?" Todd asked, still smiling softly and shyly.
"Of course, I'm growing old, Todd. My feet hurt a lot now, just after a little bit of walking. And so does my back. And I've started forgetting stuff," Neil said in a plaintive voice.
"No, you're not growing old. I repeat, you're not growing old, Neil," Todd said emphatically. "You're still my golden boy. The golden boy of Welton. The cynosure of all eyes. Everyone's favourite. Especially mine. You're still seventeen, Neil. The boy with a spring in his step and a song in his heart. The boy with the high-strung voice. The boy with round-rimmed reading glasses. You're still the sprightly Puck. You're my hero, my best friend, my soulmate, my love."
"Oh, Todd, Todd, Todd! It's been so long, so, so long since we were together. Come back to me, my love. Please, please, please, come back to me," Neil pleaded like a child.
"I'm always there with you, Neil. You just need to look at yourself in the mirror. And you'll see me behind you. Always behind you. And stay healthy, stay fit, Neil. You need to take good care of yourself. For me. I may not be around you, but I'm still with you. And always remember, you're not growing old. You can never grow old. You and I will always be young. We'll always be seventeen. Bye, Neil. Take care."
"Don't go, Todd. Don't leave me, please. Stay, Todd. Stay with me, please!"
"I'm not going anywhere, Neil. I'm always with you. Whenever you look at yourself in the mirror, you'll see me."
And then the apparition vanished. As suddenly as it had appeared. Neil looked hard at the mirror to see any trace of Todd in there. He also turned around to see if Todd was actually behind him in person. But he was not. Nor was his reflection. In the mirror.
Neil reached out to touch the mirror with an outstretched hand. And opened the faucet to wash his tear-stained face.
"I hope I'll see you again when I look at myself in this mirror, Todd."