do u ever cry because neil has been through so much abuse from both his parents and yet he’s still kind.
i know people will lose their goddamn minds if you claim that neil is soft but like y’all gotta understand that softness =/= weak or nice. softness is the way neil tries to mend aaron and andrews relationship. softness comes from neil telling andrew that he was amazing before walking to his death. neils softness is the way he lets allison put make up on him, it’s knowing he’s going to die so he dives headfirst into spending time with matt and dan. it’s how he’s willing to spend the money he’s conditioned to save on a vacation for the foxes. he’s soft in the way he’s surprised when nicky hands him andrew’s gift, in the way he asks nicky if they’re friends, he ditched exy and kevin to get ice cream with nicky for them all, this all comes from a place of softness and tenderness
and i know i know neil is still rough edges and anger and pettiness and harsh words spit as bodies collide but this isn’t exclusive from being the same boy who tried to calm down andrew on a plane bc he’s afraid of heights. don’t erase his tenderness because you can’t fathom that it can exist alongside his fire and passion. after everything he’s been through, after his father’s abuse and his mother trying to beat his essence out of him, he still has kindness and softness left. let him have it.