#between neil and kevin half the club is basically swooning okay

[knox-knocks]

hello! congrats on 1k!! can i request a one shot with neil trying out stilettos, fishnets and make up + andrew's reaction? thanks! xx

hello!!! i was super excited for this request, thank you for sending it! it’s in bullet points if that’s alright though! 

It’s Neil’s second year at Palmetto and Halloween is coming up 

Neil has already decided that he does NOT want to dress up in a costume, no matter how much Nicky pleads with him

“You can’t show up to Eden’s without a costume!” Nicky exclaims for the fifth time. 

“There’s no rules that say I have to wear a costume,” Neil says, also for the fifth time.

Neil is debating staying at Palmetto while everyone else goes to Columbia anyway. He only decides to go with because the whole team is going (with the exception of a couple Freshmen, who have their own plans) and Neil wants every chance he can to have all of his Foxes together before Dan, Allison, and Renee graduate.

But still, he’s not going to dress in any of the stupid costumes Nicky keeps shoving in his arms. (An astronaut? Really? Neil looks like he’s wearing a fishbowl on his head).

“I just don’t get the point of dressing up in weird costumes when I can just wear what I usually wear. One night of the year shouldn’t be any different,” Neil says while he’s hanging out with Dan and Allison in their room. He’s slouched against their couch, taking up two cushions, his feet thrown over one of the arms. 

“You don’t have to wear a costume, Neil.” Dan points out. 

“That’s what I’m saying!” Neil throws his hands in the air, nearly knocking over the opened bottle of nail polish Allison is balancing on her knee. “I don’t have to dress up.”

“That’s not what she’s saying.” Allison peers down at Neil with an immaculate eyebrow raised. When he stares at her blankly, she rolls her eyes with a faux-exasperated sigh. “Halloween is the time to try new things, too. You don’t have to dress as a zombie but you can dress up, if you want. If you decide you don’t like it afterwards, you don’t have to wear it ever again.”

Neil scrunches up his face. “What would I wear? My Eden’s clothes are fine.”

“That’s up for you to decide. Just think about it. And if you need any help, you know where to find me.”

Neil thinks about it, but he’s still unsure. 

So he decides to enlist for Allison’s help. 

When he arrives at the girls’ dorm, Allison and Nicky are waiting for him.

“Neil why didn’t you say you didn’t want to wear a costume!” Nicky says. If it weren’t for the joking glint in his eye Neil might have throttled him. He’s still thinking about it.

The three of them spend the better part of the night planning. Allison and  Nicky propose different styles of clothes, compare fabrics, and debate colors while Neil chooses which ones he likes best. After a couple hours, Allison and Nicky have a pretty good idea what Neil might like to try. They order him a couple clothes and send him on his way.

Neil doesn’t quite know how to feel about it. The clothes they ended up picking were a lot different than he’s used to. He’s not quite ready for crop-tops, no matter how Allison pleaded and begged, but Neil thinks he’ll be a bit more comfortable in the clothes he picked out. It’s not jeans and a comfortable hoodie, but it might work. And if Neil is being honest with himself, there is a spark of interest, of curiosity in his chest. It is only one night, and Neil doesn’t have to commit, but it is something different, something new. 

Halloween rolls around and Neil finds himself being pulled into the girls’ dorm once again. 

Dan and Matt were already dressed. They sat together on the couch; Frankenstein and his bride. Matt’s hair is still heavily gelled so that it sticks straight up. He holds strands of Dan’s hair for her while she vigorously teases it up with a comb. When they catch sight of Neil, Matt gives a happy wave and Dan calls out a muffled greeting. 

Allison has set out an array of makeup on the coffee table and is working on applying it to her face, a tall witch’s hat perched on her head. She is about halfway through with the purple glitter on her eyelids when she turns around and motions for Neil to grab the bag of clothes next to her. 

Inside, Neil finds the clothes Allison ordered for him online. 

The shirt is made out of an expensive material; black mesh with a dark red undershirt that feels like silk. It’s soft in Neil’s hands, and Neil sets it down carefully on the bathroom sink. The next thing he grabs is the pair of black shorts. Neil was a little wary about them. They were shorter than his running shorts, and what little fabric would cover Neil’s legs was ripped “artfully” as Nicky put it. Still, Neil didn’t want to just wear the fishnets. 

The fishnets. 

The last thing Allison bought. The thing Neil is most wary about. 

Neil reaches into the bag and drew out the red fishnet stockings. They seem smaller than they are supposed to be, but the fabric is stretchy and doesn’t seem too hard to get on. 

Neil gets dressed quickly and twists around, studying the clothes on his body and deciding how he feels about them. 

They fit nicely. The shorts are tight and high-waisted, hugging his hips and thighs, but not uncomfortably so. The shirt is a bit looser, and while the material is pretty sheer, Neil can’t see any of his scars peaking through. He smooths his hands down his sides. The fabric is comfortable and easy to move around in. 

Allison is right. The fishnets do make his legs look good. He thought perhaps he likes them. 

When Neil left the bathroom, Matt lets out a low whistle. Dan looks him up and down and grins while Allison considers him, a manicured finger tapping her lip. Renee had appeared in the time it took for Neil to get dressed, and she gave him a smile and a small thumbs up.

“Am I done?” Neil asks. 

“Tuck in your shirt and come here,” Allison commands and turns back to her display of makeup. 

Neil does as he’s told and plops down next to Allison. Allison peruses her collection of glitters and shadows before plucking a long tube from a pile of other long tubes.

“How do you feel about mascara?”

Neil squints suspiciously at the sleek purple tube. “I’d prefer not to have my eyes poked out.”

Dan snorts from the other side of the couch and Allison gives him an unimpressed look. 

“Fine. Your eyelashes are already pretty dark, you ungrateful bastard.” Allison sets down the purple tube and grabs something else. “But I want you try some eyeliner. It’ll make your eyes pop.”

“How is that any better?”

“Don’t be a baby and give me your face.”

Allison places a hand on the side of Neil’s face and draws him closer. A couple careful strokes of the pencil later, and she leans back to consider her work. She tilts her head from side to side and adds a couple more strokes below his eyes as well. 

When she releases him, Neil blinks, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes. Allison already has another thing of makeup in her hand when Neil is sure his eyes aren’t going to water and ruin everything. 

“What does that do?” Neil asks. 

“It’s highlighter. This one’s more glittery so it’ll look great under the lights at Eden’s.”

“You’re gonna glow,” Matt chirps, startling Neil. He’s almost forgotten Dan and Matt were here as well. 

“Okay,” Neil says. He trusts her. When Neil got back from Evermore his Freshman year, it was Allison who painted over Neil’s mottled bruises and made him look good as new. A smile curves Allison lips and she flicks open the lid and applies the powder along Neil’s cheeks with a soft brush.

“Lastly,” Allison says “is lip gloss.”

She unscrews the lid and takes out the wand. Neil licks his lips, debating whether he should let Allison apply it on him. He nods his head.

“It’s only a tint,” Allison says quietly, focusing on covering Neil’s lips with a glossy layer, “but it’ll make your lips look nice and pink and,” Allison wipes a bit of lip gloss away from where it got on Neil’s skin, “kissable.”

Neil huffs a laugh. “Kissable?”

“It’s also strawberry flavored.” Allison smirks. “But don’t you dare lick your lips.”

“I wasn’t going to.” Neil scowls. He was absolutely going to.

Dan gives Neil one of her chokers to wear and helps him hook it round his neck. It’s not as tight as Neil thought it would be, it’s actually pretty comfortable. He laces up his boots and straightens up to find the Upperclassmen watching him.

“Okay, you’re done,” Allison says, nodding approvingly. “Now let’s go party.”

Andrew is waiting in the parking lot for Neil and the others to come down. Neil has the pleasure of seeing him before he spots Neil. He’s leaning against the Maserati with a cigarette propped lazily between his fingers and his lips. His hair is slicked back with gel, and the vampire costume is predictably, black. The only thing he’s wearing that isn’t black is the white button down shirt that looks like it belongs in the original Dracula movie and the inside of the cape, which is a blood red. Neil wonders if he even has fake fangs. 

Andrew takes a drag from his cigarette and glances up as Neil approaches. His eyes lock on Neil’s face and the hand holding his cigarette drops an inch from his lips and freezes. Neil tries not to look too pleased when Andrew’s eyes drag down his body and linger on each new article of clothing. 

“What are you supposed to be,” Andrew grunts. He drops the cigarette and grinds it out with the heel of his shoe. 

“Dracula’s boyfriend,” Neil says and earns a supremely unimpressed look from Andrew. 

“Alright let’s go!” Nicky shouts, running to the Maserati in his golden gladiator costume. “Preferably before it gets dark and Eden’s runs out of tequila!” 

Andrew’s gaze is heavy on Neil’s. When Neil grins, a smug smile curving his lips, Andrew’s eyes drop to his mouth. His throat bobs. 

“It’s strawberry flavored,” Neil says. Andrew’s eyes snap back up to his.

The lip gloss doesn’t last throughout the night. Neil thinks he likes these new clothes.