Disclaimer: Look, if I owned Dead Poets Society you would know, because there would definitely be some AnderPerry in there...
Neil Perry had one of those wonderful strides. It was a purposeful gait, yet relaxed. Neil always had a goal to his walk and he knew he would reach that goal one day. It was like this every night of his life, except this one. Tonight, on the coldest night in Welton history, Neil Perry was calmly taking a stroll through the grounds to "live deliberately."
Neil sighed to himself. It was the worst snowstorm in eighty years and here he was, traipsing on the red brick paths and under archways at eleven o'clock at night, for fun. Not only was this highly illegal behavior for the resident Golden Boy, but Neil refused to even wear a coat beyond his standard regulation blazer. Neil twirled underneath the dusty snowfalls illuminated under the dim streetlamps. The cold covered his expensive loafers and soaked into his fine cashmere socks, but he didn't care. For once, Neil Perry was having fun.
He continued on the covered path until he reached the dormitory he and his friends lived in and looked up the building to a window. As a matter of fact, it was his window, dark now, and the room he shared with Todd Anderson. Neil smiled lightly as he thought about his roommate. Todd. Often, when Neil was kept up from his insomnia and the full moon outside their window, Neil would watch Todd as he slept. The sight of his slow breathing and doll-like, porcelain face calmed him enough to sleep.
Now, Todd was asleep. And Neil wasn't. Neil dug through the piles of snow frantically until his mittens plucked a few small pebbles from the frozen grass. Neil tossed one to tap the glass gently. Nothing. He threw another, still nothing. Finally, he tossed one harder that made a noise so shocking in the winter air he thought he broke glass. The window popped open from the latch on the inside.
Todd rubbed his eyes with closed fists from the windowsill above. "Neil? What on earth are you doing?" Todd questioned him groggily.
Neil twirled in the snow. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm having an adventure!" Neil's scarf swirled around his face as he attempted to catch snowflakes on his tongue.
Todd rolled his eyes. "Neil! Will you come back up here? If anyone catches you—God, you're not even wearing a coat!"
"Oh, stop being a square, Todd. I will not be satisfied until you come down here and join me." Neil crossed his arms like a child who was losing an argument.
Todd sighed and rubbed his eyes over his internal conflict. He knew, no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to resist the illustrious Neil Perry. He was persuasive, he was exhilarating, and, frankly, Todd loved the sight of his sparkling eyes as he jumped around in the fresh white powder. Todd disappeared from the window and quickly dressed in his school clothes. He knew Neil would be disappointed in him and his lack of enthusiasm if he came down in anything appropriate for the weather, so he settled on a scarf and mittens and crept slowly down the oak stairs, careful to avoid Hellton's dog or worse: Richard Cameron.
Todd kicked through the snow drifts angrily until he was face-to-face with Neil's glowing smile. He raised a finger defiantly before dropping it. "Oh, forget it," he smiled, "there's no way I can stay mad at you. But please tell me, for the love of God, what on earth possessed you to come outside in the worst snowstorm we've ever seen? In the middle of the night?!"
Without a word, Neil grasped Todd's hand in his and dragged him down the walkways. They were nearing a large snow bank piled higher than their heads. Todd's eyes widened. "No. Neil. No. You can't do this, Neil."
Neil laughed maniacally. "Oh yes, I can." Neil ran to the pile and pushed Todd into the cold mass, but not before Todd was able to pull him in with him. They tumbled around in the snow, tackling each other and mussing their hair in the process.
Todd smirked. "I wasn't going down without a fight, Perry." They pushed and shoved as the cold precipitation soaked their light clothes. Finally, Neil was able to push himself atop Todd and pin him to the icy ground.
That was the moment when Todd noticed the beauty in Neil's face like never before. His sharp cheekbones, his deliciously messy hair, and his rosy cheeks that made him appear flustered and child-like. Neil noticed the snowflakes that danced atop Todd's eyelashes and made his sad grey eyes shine for the first time.
Neil bit his lip and slowly lowered them to rest upon Todd's. He had never been surer of anything in his life. Todd took Neil's soft lips and warm breath as comfort. Suddenly they were no longer cold. The heat of their first kiss surrounded them until their entire bodies were up in flames. After they released it, their hot breath fogged in the cold night air. Neither boy said anything. There were no words needed. That kiss said all the words they had ever wanted to say since they had met and fallen love at first sight for each other.
Neil pulled Todd up with his gloved hand and wrapped him in his arms, kissing again in the flurries that surrounded them. For once, they did not care if anyone was around or if what they were doing was wrong. All they were was two boys rocking back and forth in each other's embraces locked in the best kiss of their lives.
And what could be better than that?
A.N. Honestly, whenever I think of Neil and Todd, I think of winter as their season. It's just a fluffy and cute time of year so I felt this was the appropriate time for them to have their first kiss. Let me know what you think!
Flowers on Your Heart