merry christmas, and goodbye. (byler)

THE ARCADE AND THE FRIENDLY STRANGERS

2.4k words

it's 2:00pm. at 6, the party is getting together for dinner and a sleepover at the wheelers' house. mike has been preparing for 6 all morning.

he knows it's stupid, but he showered and dressed a little nicer then usual, and he's wearing the same shirt that will complimented once when they were 13 years old (he saw it on a shelf at the gap and bought it in a bigger size after he out-grew the original). mike is wearing a new cologne, and he's brushed his ever-growing hair for the first time in days. will it spill out today? in front of all their friends and his ex-girlfriend?

mikes cheeks are burning. so much so that during lunch his mother takes notice.
"mike, are you sick?"
she says, voice lined with that motherly worry she always has. he chokes on his eggs, quickly downing his glass of water and nodding.
she's even more irked now
"is it about el? it's normal to be nervous around an ex-" "it's nothing, mom." mike lies.

in the past six months away from will he's had time to think and process his feelings, but he's not sure how his parents will react. well, half-lie, he knows exactly what his dad will say. he'd probably vote to send mike away to one of those camps where they...

mike shakes off that thought before it wanders too far. his dad certainly wouldn't like it, but maybe, just maybe, his mom would be okay. he imagines her mom-hug to feel better— something he does often, usually when he's thinking about will, in the moments when all the feelings swirling around his stomach suddenly repulse him and he feels like scrubbing his hands and washing his mouth out with bleach. he pictures his mom. her curly hair that's always sticky with hairspray. her strong perfume that always gives him a migraine. mike isn't close with his mom by any means, but she's still safe. it still makes him feel better.

nancy is cheery when she comes down the stairs after finishing her homework for the day. it's her senior year, supposedly the hardest one, and she's still piling on extra credit work over the break.
"mike!" she calls, making mike flinch. she holds up the keys to the family vehicle "jonathan said will might come over. wanna come to pick them up?"

so that's why she's so cheery. shit. mike stands up too fast "yeah, one sec!" he replies, face still beat red. his mom makes eye contact with nancy, who shrugs with a smile on her face. mike puts his plate in the sink, and gets his shoes on in record speed. 
damnit. he was ready for 6. he was ready to talk to will with the rest of their friends as a buffer, for their childhood friend banter to come back naturally. the thought of sitting in mikes bedroom for the 4 hours they have to kill and not telling will what he's been thinking about for the entire time they haven't been talking is so uncomfortable. he pushes it back.

nancy doesn't chat much during the drive. she can tell that he's thinking— and he needs to deal with this on his own. it's something nancy can't begin to understand. however, she does send him some teasingly wide grins.

they park in front of the hotel. the first person mike sees is el coming through the front doors of the small hotel. she hasn't seen max for ages, and evidently she couldn't wait because it looks like she even rented a bike to go out and see her. mike grimaces. max has changed an alarming amount. he hopes that things aren't as awkward between them as they are between him and will.

jonathan comes out after. he looks back, and mikes breath catches. will is jogging after jonathan, smiling the same way he always used to. he really hasn't changed. nancy laughs at mikes reaction, and then they both step out of the car. mike waves to el, who glances down at her bike and then at the car and laughs. when he looks back, wills smile is gone. he almost looks like he's biting his cheeks.

nancy and jonathan embrace deeply, but refrain from kissing because their gay brothers are right there, and they have a mutual agreement to set them up. mike hugs el, then will goes in to hug mike, to which he instinctually swerves. he curses himself. already awkward and it's been less then a minute. he didn't mean to, but he had this nagging fear that if he started to hug will he wouldn't be able to let go. like, ever.