A/N This is a pairing that isn't found enough on this website! I love the thought of Todd/Neil together, they're so cute together. Also, the flying desk set scene is going to get something out of me sooner or later, I just had this rolling around in my empty little head!
Just A Bit Of Bad Poetry
By Elaine
Pairing: Todd/Neil (Dead Poets Society)
Rating: PG/PG-13, depends how you look at it…
________________________________________________________________________
Todd sighed, it was so boring without his roommate, who had probably gone to the dock or something. He couldn't concentrate so he picked up his notebook, put on a jacket and some shoes, and went outside.
He, of course, had to feed the dog so it wouldn't bark, so he grabbed a couple biscuits from the bag they used when they had a meeting.
Todd went down to the cave, a twig snapped under one foot, clapping like thunder in the deafening silence.
That actually wasn't a bad start for his poem…he turned on his flashlight and wrote it down.
He continued to go to the cave, he ducked so he could get inside.
Neil was in there, flashlight in hand with a book. He was asleep with both loose in his hands.
He thought for a moment then wrote something else down, he kept doing that until he had a poem that wasn't too bad.
A small noise made him look up, Neil was stirring.
"What the-Todd?" he mumbled, blinking sleepily.
"Hi," Todd said.
"Am I in the cave?"
"Yeah."
"Was I asleep?"
"Yeah."
"Have you been here for awhile?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Okay."
"Yeah," he said. "Um, I was going to wake you, but…"
"Don't worry, I don't mind," he said, sitting up, a jacket fell off of him. "Huh?"
"Oh, you, um, didn't have a coat or anything and I wasn't really that cold without mine," Todd said, blushing.
"Oh, thanks," he said, smiling. "Why are you here?"
"Poem," he said, holding up the notebook. "I can't believe Mr. Keating wants us to do another one."
"Yours was good last time, really good," he said. "It wasn't like everyone else's, they judged theirs and you just said…whatever."
Todd blushed again, he couldn't take a compliment at all without blushing.
"Well, this one is pretty bad," he mumbled, ready to crumble it up.
"No," Neil said, taking it so he couldn't. "There is no such thing as bad poetry, Todd. You should know that by now."
He dared to glance at it and actually read the whole thing.
"Uh, wow," he said. "This is good. This is really good, Todd. Turn this in and Mr. Keating will want to adopt you or something, he does already."
Todd fidgeted a little, "It's not that good…"
"Oh please, and Cameron's not that annoying," he said, Todd snorted. "Not only is this very good, but Cameron's very annoying. So you don't try to maul this thing, I'll keep it with me until tomorrow, when you have to read it."
"Neil…" he said, almost whining.
"Todd…" he said in the same fashion.
Todd had to smile, "Okay, yes, that was childish, but…please?"
Neil came close to him, "Nope."
Todd pleaded with his eyes, he looked like a whipped puppy.
Neil had to will himself not to breath in sharply, with a look like that, Todd would get anything he wanted from him…except this poem.
"No," he said firmly. "Todd, this is good. There is no such thing as a bad poem unless the person writing it thinks so, and I don't think you do, you just think everyone else will think that."
"Huh?" he said.
"Um, wait, what?" he said. "I didn't even understand that. Okay, simplify…what you think projects itself to the people hearing or reading the poem, and only then will it be a bad poem if you say it like it is. It isn't, Todd."
"Then can I have it back if I pretend to let it live another day?" he asked hopefully.
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Todd, I love you and everything, but I can't trust you when you think like that," he said, he paused and back-tracked, mentally beating himself because he let that slip.
Todd's eyes opened wide, "What?"
"Um, huh?" he said.
"Wait, what?" he said.
"What?" Neil said, hoping he'd let it go.
Todd just sort of stared at him, he waited for the punch, the blow, whatever. He even waited for him to call his father and have him shoot him…
"Neil, open your eyes," Todd said. "Please?"
Neil dared to allow one to open, he knew that there was the whole carpe diem thing, but this was way too much, even for him.
"Both of them," he said, Neil shook his head.
Todd leaned forward and kissed the closed eyelid and it popped open. They sort of blinked at each other.
"I can't believe that I just did that," Todd said in disbelief.
"You? I can't believe I just said that!" Neil said, sitting hard.
"You do mean it, right?" Todd said.
"Of course," he said, smacking himself as he said that. "Mouth…stop moving…brain…start thinking faster…"
Todd had to smile, he'd never seen Neil so flustered with himself, he was freaking out even though Todd felt the same. He didn't even seem to notice that Todd wasn't getting freaked or anything.
"Neil!" Todd said, Neil didn't stop giving himself instructions.
Todd leaned forward and pressed their lips together.
Neil's mouth stopped moving and he felt a little dizzy, but not in a bad way. When Todd pulled back, he allowed his eyes to open.
"Why'd you stop?" Neil asked, he smacked himself.
"Because, you were just sitting there," Todd said.
"Oh," he said, he pulled Todd down and kissed him.
Todd was able to get the dropped paper and he folded it and shoved it in his pocket. Neil smiled against his lips.
"You're going to actually read it without tearing it?" Neil teased, Todd nodded. "Good."
Todd leaned forward a little too far and fell, knocking them both on the ground.
"You are so lucky sand is soft," Neil mumbled before kissing him.
Todd just smiled.
EPILOUGE
In Mr. Keating's class, they were reading their poems.
"Well, thank you, Neil," Mr. Keating said. "Now, Mr. Todd Anderson, come on up, you're next. Did you bring a poem this time?"
Todd nodded and took the folded paper from his pocket. He went up front and saw Neil smiling reassuringly at him. He smiled back and opened his mouth to read.
When he was done, his voice was shaking less and his hands were actually still. That was a first.
"Very good, Mr. Anderson," Mr. Keating said. "You said you can't write too well…I think you just proved yourself wrong."
"I do that a lot, sir," he said, smiling wryly as he sat down.
He had, after all, been wrong when he thought Neil thought of him as maybe a younger brother. Last night he'd been proved very, very wrong.
And he didn't care.
"What's your poem called?" Mr. Keating asked.
"Just A Bit Of Bad Poetry," Todd said.
He could almost hear the grin form on Neil's face.
Mr. Keating chuckled, "I'd love to see what the good poetry is."
He tried hard not blush, he and Neil agreed that what they had been doing…which hadn't gone past making out, was physical poetry, and it was very, very good.
"I like both good poetry and bad poetry," Todd said, this time he did blush.
Oh well.
[FINIS]
A/N Okay…sappy enough to give you a cavity, no? LoL I have the poem right below this…
Just A Bit Of Bad Poetry
By Elaine
A twig snaps…a clap of thunder in the deafening silence
The trees around tower over me,
Pressing…pressing…pressing in.
Fear and wonder fills my senses,
I see the stars shine against deep blue
And the moon, like a pale cheek,
Soft in my hand.
Fear runs as I picture this beauty in my head,
Runs like the wild beast it is,
Tearing at everything in sight.
The stars shine against a velvet backdrop
A musical voice coming from the pale moon
Tames the fear…making it as beautiful as this face
Of the night.
I fear no more.
I fear no more as the clouds roll in
And crystal rain kisses my face
Whispers secrets in my ears…
The next twig that snaps…is silent.
A/N Yes, very bad, I know. Heh, I'm a storyteller, not a poet…READ AND REVIEW!!! Flames will be eaten by the little multi-colored hell-bunnies in my head!
Just A Bit Of Bad Poetry
By Elaine
Pairing: Todd/Neil (Dead Poets Society)
Rating: PG/PG-13, depends how you look at it…
________________________________________________________________________
Todd sighed, it was so boring without his roommate, who had probably gone to the dock or something. He couldn't concentrate so he picked up his notebook, put on a jacket and some shoes, and went outside.
He, of course, had to feed the dog so it wouldn't bark, so he grabbed a couple biscuits from the bag they used when they had a meeting.
Todd went down to the cave, a twig snapped under one foot, clapping like thunder in the deafening silence.
That actually wasn't a bad start for his poem…he turned on his flashlight and wrote it down.
He continued to go to the cave, he ducked so he could get inside.
Neil was in there, flashlight in hand with a book. He was asleep with both loose in his hands.
He thought for a moment then wrote something else down, he kept doing that until he had a poem that wasn't too bad.
A small noise made him look up, Neil was stirring.
"What the-Todd?" he mumbled, blinking sleepily.
"Hi," Todd said.
"Am I in the cave?"
"Yeah."
"Was I asleep?"
"Yeah."
"Have you been here for awhile?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Okay."
"Yeah," he said. "Um, I was going to wake you, but…"
"Don't worry, I don't mind," he said, sitting up, a jacket fell off of him. "Huh?"
"Oh, you, um, didn't have a coat or anything and I wasn't really that cold without mine," Todd said, blushing.
"Oh, thanks," he said, smiling. "Why are you here?"
"Poem," he said, holding up the notebook. "I can't believe Mr. Keating wants us to do another one."
"Yours was good last time, really good," he said. "It wasn't like everyone else's, they judged theirs and you just said…whatever."
Todd blushed again, he couldn't take a compliment at all without blushing.
"Well, this one is pretty bad," he mumbled, ready to crumble it up.
"No," Neil said, taking it so he couldn't. "There is no such thing as bad poetry, Todd. You should know that by now."
He dared to glance at it and actually read the whole thing.
"Uh, wow," he said. "This is good. This is really good, Todd. Turn this in and Mr. Keating will want to adopt you or something, he does already."
Todd fidgeted a little, "It's not that good…"
"Oh please, and Cameron's not that annoying," he said, Todd snorted. "Not only is this very good, but Cameron's very annoying. So you don't try to maul this thing, I'll keep it with me until tomorrow, when you have to read it."
"Neil…" he said, almost whining.
"Todd…" he said in the same fashion.
Todd had to smile, "Okay, yes, that was childish, but…please?"
Neil came close to him, "Nope."
Todd pleaded with his eyes, he looked like a whipped puppy.
Neil had to will himself not to breath in sharply, with a look like that, Todd would get anything he wanted from him…except this poem.
"No," he said firmly. "Todd, this is good. There is no such thing as a bad poem unless the person writing it thinks so, and I don't think you do, you just think everyone else will think that."
"Huh?" he said.
"Um, wait, what?" he said. "I didn't even understand that. Okay, simplify…what you think projects itself to the people hearing or reading the poem, and only then will it be a bad poem if you say it like it is. It isn't, Todd."
"Then can I have it back if I pretend to let it live another day?" he asked hopefully.
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Todd, I love you and everything, but I can't trust you when you think like that," he said, he paused and back-tracked, mentally beating himself because he let that slip.
Todd's eyes opened wide, "What?"
"Um, huh?" he said.
"Wait, what?" he said.
"What?" Neil said, hoping he'd let it go.
Todd just sort of stared at him, he waited for the punch, the blow, whatever. He even waited for him to call his father and have him shoot him…
"Neil, open your eyes," Todd said. "Please?"
Neil dared to allow one to open, he knew that there was the whole carpe diem thing, but this was way too much, even for him.
"Both of them," he said, Neil shook his head.
Todd leaned forward and kissed the closed eyelid and it popped open. They sort of blinked at each other.
"I can't believe that I just did that," Todd said in disbelief.
"You? I can't believe I just said that!" Neil said, sitting hard.
"You do mean it, right?" Todd said.
"Of course," he said, smacking himself as he said that. "Mouth…stop moving…brain…start thinking faster…"
Todd had to smile, he'd never seen Neil so flustered with himself, he was freaking out even though Todd felt the same. He didn't even seem to notice that Todd wasn't getting freaked or anything.
"Neil!" Todd said, Neil didn't stop giving himself instructions.
Todd leaned forward and pressed their lips together.
Neil's mouth stopped moving and he felt a little dizzy, but not in a bad way. When Todd pulled back, he allowed his eyes to open.
"Why'd you stop?" Neil asked, he smacked himself.
"Because, you were just sitting there," Todd said.
"Oh," he said, he pulled Todd down and kissed him.
Todd was able to get the dropped paper and he folded it and shoved it in his pocket. Neil smiled against his lips.
"You're going to actually read it without tearing it?" Neil teased, Todd nodded. "Good."
Todd leaned forward a little too far and fell, knocking them both on the ground.
"You are so lucky sand is soft," Neil mumbled before kissing him.
Todd just smiled.
EPILOUGE
In Mr. Keating's class, they were reading their poems.
"Well, thank you, Neil," Mr. Keating said. "Now, Mr. Todd Anderson, come on up, you're next. Did you bring a poem this time?"
Todd nodded and took the folded paper from his pocket. He went up front and saw Neil smiling reassuringly at him. He smiled back and opened his mouth to read.
When he was done, his voice was shaking less and his hands were actually still. That was a first.
"Very good, Mr. Anderson," Mr. Keating said. "You said you can't write too well…I think you just proved yourself wrong."
"I do that a lot, sir," he said, smiling wryly as he sat down.
He had, after all, been wrong when he thought Neil thought of him as maybe a younger brother. Last night he'd been proved very, very wrong.
And he didn't care.
"What's your poem called?" Mr. Keating asked.
"Just A Bit Of Bad Poetry," Todd said.
He could almost hear the grin form on Neil's face.
Mr. Keating chuckled, "I'd love to see what the good poetry is."
He tried hard not blush, he and Neil agreed that what they had been doing…which hadn't gone past making out, was physical poetry, and it was very, very good.
"I like both good poetry and bad poetry," Todd said, this time he did blush.
Oh well.
[FINIS]
A/N Okay…sappy enough to give you a cavity, no? LoL I have the poem right below this…
Just A Bit Of Bad Poetry
By Elaine
A twig snaps…a clap of thunder in the deafening silence
The trees around tower over me,
Pressing…pressing…pressing in.
Fear and wonder fills my senses,
I see the stars shine against deep blue
And the moon, like a pale cheek,
Soft in my hand.
Fear runs as I picture this beauty in my head,
Runs like the wild beast it is,
Tearing at everything in sight.
The stars shine against a velvet backdrop
A musical voice coming from the pale moon
Tames the fear…making it as beautiful as this face
Of the night.
I fear no more.
I fear no more as the clouds roll in
And crystal rain kisses my face
Whispers secrets in my ears…
The next twig that snaps…is silent.
A/N Yes, very bad, I know. Heh, I'm a storyteller, not a poet…READ AND REVIEW!!! Flames will be eaten by the little multi-colored hell-bunnies in my head!