I think that, since Neil spent most of his life owning so little (basically only what could fit in his duffel bag), he genuinely appreciates every new thing he buys, gets, or is given. So, here's a list of my random headcanon objects Neil keeps:
- Neil's wallet is pretty plain. Black. Fake leather. Wymack gave it to him (such a dad gift), and there's nothing remarkable about it. Until one day he accidentally leaves it open on his desk, and Andrew notices that Neil keeps his (Andrew's) passport photo tucked inside. It's tiny compared to Kevin's trading card sitting behind it. Andrew makes a mental note to talk to Neil about his crush.
- The Foxes decide to have breakfast together in the girls' room. No one expects Neil to walk in carrying an "I ❤️ My Dad" mug. The room falls completely silent while he calmly sips his coffee.
- For Neil's birthday, Aaron gives him a Chucky doll, claiming they look alike. Everyone expects Neil to complain, but he just accepts it without a word. If Aaron starts seeing that doll everywhere he goes afterward, that's his own problem. Matt offently lets Neil into his room just so they can hide Chucky in ridiculous places. The day Aaron lifts his mattress and finds the doll staring back at him, he decides he's had enough.
Since Neil refuses to throw anything away, the doll eventually ends up sitting on his shelf. Every now and then, Kevin and Andrew quietly discuss ways to get rid of it without Neil noticing.
- Neil owns the most useless calculator ever. Several buttons don't work, half the screen's pixels are dead, and the battery cover is missing. When Katelyn sees it at the library, she convinces him to swap calculators with her (because Neil would not let her buy him a new one). Now he goes to every class carrying a pink calculator covered in Hello Kitty stickers.