K I N G

s i x t e e n

"The kind of smile that would be cruel not to kiss." - Atticus

Neil's POV
Neil yawned loudly as he walked back to his room. Practice had been long and exhausting. He wanted nothing more than to curl up into bed and rest for awhile. Although thoroughly drained, excitement still rushed through his veins. The pure joy Neil felt while up on stage was nothing short of glorious. There was only one thing that could compare.

    The biting breeze cut off his wandering thoughts. Shivering, Neil pulled his coat tighter around his body. Tucking his chin into his chest, Neil all but ran towards his dorm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure sitting rather glumly on the stone walkway he was crossing. Neil wouldn't have given them a second thought if it wasn't for the familiar blonde hair that adorned the figure. Neil whipped around to see it was indeed Todd sitting against the wall of the walkway. Misery rolled off of him in waves as Neil noticed his bowed head and sharp frown marring his features.

    "Todd?"

    Bright blue eyes shot up. They seemed to glow as tears had made his friend's eyes shine even brighter. Neil tensed as he saw Todd frantically wipe away his tear stains. Neil narrowed his eyes in anger when Todd began to try to distract him.

    "Neil! How was practice?"

    "Never mind practice! What's got you upset?" Neil pressed, wishing to end the offense as soon as possible.

    "It's nothing Neil. Forget about it."

    "Forget about it? You're sitting on a horribly uncomfortable stone walkway, crying may I add, in this freezing ass weather! What is okay about any of this?"    

    Todd flushed red. "My birthday!" He blurted out.

    Neil blinked owlishly. "Your what?"

    "Today's my birthday."

    "Birthday...." Neil breathed out, feeling shocked that he had had no idea in the first place. "H-happy Birthday."

    "Thanks," Todd muttered, ducking his head further down.

    "That doesn't explain why you're so upset."

    Todd didn't answer. Neil sighed and sat down next to his brooding friend. Todd never liked bringing other people into his problems, no matter how terrible he was at hiding when things bothered him.

    Teasingly, Neil knocked his knee against Todd's. "Are you gonna make me guess or?"

    "My parents gave this to me," He stated sharply, kicking a desk set that Neil hadn't noticed before.

    Neil leaned in closer, over Todd's body, to get a better look. He recognized the same set Todd had in their room but he didn't move just yet. Why not take advantage of the moment? Neil flickered his eyes up to Todd's flushed face. Was Todd angry or was it something else entirely? Before he could get his hopes up too far, Neil opened his mouth and asked curiously,

    "Isn't it the same desk set--"

    "Yeah, yeah. They have me the same thing last year. And the year before that. And the year before that."

    "Oh," Neil stated dumbly. At least he had gotten some money for his birthday, so Neil couldn't complain about his gifts.

    Todd started to chuckle. The bitter sound made Neil wince. It was anything but the warm laughter that he loved to hear fall from Todd's lips. This was jaded and angry.

"Yeah, oh."

    Neil laughed nervously. "Maybe they thought you needed another one."

    "Maybe they weren't thinking at all. Funny thing is I didn't like it the first time around."

    Neil didn't like the bitterness in Todd's voice. Neil stood and reached out for the desk set. He'd make Todd smile again.

    "Todd, I think you're underestimating the value of this desk set."

    Todd watched Neil curiously causing him to smirk.

    "I mean who would want a football, or a baseball, or--"

    "A car--"

    "Or a car if they could have a desk set as wonderful as this one? I mean if, if I were ever going to buy a desk set three times--"

"Four!"

Neil took a deep breath, trying not to let his anger get the best of him. "Four, I would probably buy this one all those times. In fact, it shape is rather aerodynamic, isn't it? I can feel it. This desk set wants to fly."       

Neil lightly tossed the desk set in the air and handed it over to Todd as he stood. The two of them smirk down at the desk set as Neil stated, "The world's first unmanned flying desk set."
    Todd then flung the desk set over the walkway where it went crashing down onto the pavement below. It shattered into pieces.

"Oh my!" Todd laughed.

"Well I wouldn't worry. You'll probably get another one next year."

Todd laughed openly at his comment. He threw his head back and the sound flowed out
of him. Neil watched in wonder as Todd transformed from the miserable boy from before to the alluring young man in front of him. Neil traced Todd's face greedily as he noticed the dimple in Todd's right cheek and a mole right above his temple. Possessed by some unknown force, perhaps by stupidity yet Neil would like to think it was Eros himself cheering him on, Neil leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss onto the corner of Todd's mouth.

    Neil froze like a startled rabbit at Todd's wide-eyed gaze.

    Oh God, what had possessed him?

    Will he hate me now? Please don't let him hate me. Neil begged silently.

Hopeless and scared, Neil watched Todd gap up at him. Neil felt like he was drifting off to sea with a storm raging around him. Only Todd had the power to stop that storm.