Mostly Anderperry Oneshots

poem problems

{This is set the day of the yawp poem}

Amazement, shock, speechless, wow just wow, are some of the words to describe the feeling after hearing his roommates poem. Jaw still open the bell rang and he ran. He ran as fast as his legs would take him back to his room to rewrite his poem before tomarrow.

On his desk sat a perfectly acceptable poem about how being on a stage made him feel. However after today he feared that it wasn't good enough. His friend created the most amazing poem he has every heard on the fly, how could he compare.

He sat down, crumpled his worthless idea of a poem and tossed it into the garbage. Opening his notebook, he attempted to think of ideas worthy of life but nothing came. Minutes passed and his paper remained just as empty as when he started. Thoughts none, mind empty.

"Neil?" Todd cautiously called waking up the exhausted thinker.

"Oh hi, how long was I out for?"

"I don't know I just got in from studying. I just thought you might want a more comfortable place to sleep."

"Thanks, I never got a chance to congratulate you. Your poem was amazing." Neil said reminding him of his now nonexistent poem.

The roommates both turned in for the night, except only one slept. Neil's poem kept weighing on his mind. In that moment he had an epiphany.

Why does he even feel the need to obsess over this assignment so much. He wants to impress on person and one person only.

Todd Anderson.

This thought made Neil leap out of bed and rush over to his desk to write. Words flew out of him. His hand could barely keep up with his energized mind. By the time the poem was done his mind was free of thoughts and he went back to bed with ease.

~~~

Neil walked into Mr. Keating's class new poem in hand. He sat down at the desk where 24 hours ago he was starstruck.

"Mr. Perry, would you like do the honor of starting off our readings today?"

With that Neil gathered his paper from the back of the room and went up to the room to share the poem he stayed up writing.

~~~

[Hello anyone who is reading this fanfic. I am not a poet and I'm not going to try and be one so here's what in my mind the poem would be about. It would be a romantic poem, it wouldn't be obviously about Todd. In Neil's mind it wasn't romantic but...]

~~~

"Mr. Perry can you stay for a moment" Mr. Keating asked as Neil was walking out of class.

"Someone's in trouble" Charlie said halfway out the door.

"Oh shut up."

"I wanted to talk to you about your poem." Mr. Keating started. Neil's face dropped, the poem that he worked so hard was about to be destroyed by his role model.

"Was it not good, I can redo it if you would like." Neil asked heart pounding.

"Oh no, the complete opposite. Your poem was a perfect description of what it feels like to be in love-"

"No, no, no. You have it all wrong. I'm not in love, that would be ridiculous. It is obviously about a friendship. Platonic love maybe, but even that's a stretch." Neil rambled trying to demolish that thought.

"Neil calm down, I'm sorry if I upset you. Many people look at poems in different ways, that is just how I viewed it. But Neil does a person who isn't in love spend that much time and energy convincing themselves that they aren't in love."

Neil just stood there trying to grasp what his teacher just told him. The only movement what his eyes blinking trying to keep up with the thoughts in his head.

"Now I know that I probably overstepped as your teacher but one more thing even if this is just a friendship you should tell this person how you feel, everyone likes hearing nice things about them." Mr. Keating admitted.

"Thank you" Said Neil stunned slowly walking out the door.

~~~

Neil proceeded to lay on his bed staring at the ceiling.

Is he right? Maybe he his. I've never thought of that possibility before. No that's I lie I do think about it but I push it away. I don't think I could I could push it away anymore. This is wrong. I can't be in love with a guy. But this isn't any guy this is Todd Anderson.

"What the hell am I going to do" Neil sighed.

"About what?" Todd asked slipping into their shared room.

"Oh nothing" Neil said quickly

"Ok?? Anyways, how was your day?" Todd asked unpacking his school work from him bag.

"It was fine, you know same old same old." Neil smiled. "How about you?"

"Fine, oh what was it that Mr. Keating wanted you to stay for?"

"Oh that, it was just to talk about my poem." Neil answered hoping Todd would drop it at that so that he wouldn't have to do this now.

"Anything specific? Speaking of, that was an amazing poem I don't even know how to come with anything half as good" Todd laughed.

"Oh, don't say that," Said Neil remembering how Todd's poem had an effect on him "Mr Keating wanted to talk to me about, he wanted to talk to me about" Rambled Neil trying to choose how he wanted to approach this.

Well I guess I'm gonna do this.

"You know what, could you sit down that might be easier."

"What is going on Neil, your making me nervous. You can tell me anything." Said Todd sitting down his be looking up at Neil pacing.

"He wanted to talk to me about how good my poem was and that it was a 'perfect description of what it feels like to be in love'. And then I was like well thats not true because I wrote it about a friendship. Our friendship." Confessed Neil words escaping his mouth at rapid speeds "Then the more I thought about it after a little help from Mr. Keating maybe I might like you as more than a friend. But this is all new and-"

"Oh can you just shut up" Todd yelled planting a kiss right on Neil's lips.

Neil pulled away and touched his lips softly trying to comprehend what in the world just happened.

"Oh. My. God. I'm so sorry. I panicked. I ment that I'm in love with you too and I took it too far. God, I always manage to mess these things up. I'm so-"

"Oh can you just shut up" Neil repeated leaning into kiss Todd.

[Just so you guys know the idea for the "But Neil does a person who isn't in love spend that much time and energy convincing themselves that they aren't in love." Line came from Casey McQuiston's Red White and Royal Blue where there was a very similar line said.]