Chapter Text
Pezzy and Droid were playground best friends. It all started when two crazy preschoolers decided to see who could swing highest on the playset. Their moms got to talking and the rest was histroy. They went everywhere and did everything together. Roller Coasters, waterslides, parks, pools and movie theaters were always victim to their presence. The only thing they didn’t share was schools.
Pezzy sometimes got stuck in the past, remembering the smell of stale popcorn and velvet carpets. He had plenty of memories of being hundreds of feet in the air on a ferris wheel at night, watching the sky with Droid by his side. He honestly didn’t think he could live without him. That was the really scary part, one of those thoughts that kept him up all night.
They’d both grown a lot as people over the years. Pezzy became more shy and aloof as time went on. He wasn’t the schools favorite person, especially since Trent and his little posse decided to make his life miserable. He ate lunch in one of the music practice rooms instead of the lunchroom. Making conversation with an old piano rather than any of his peers.
Droid was better than he was, cooler. He was the lead star of his football team, which made sense since he was tall and strong. He was more than that though, he was funny and kind. There wasn’t a part of Pezzy that doubted that people liked him because he was impossible to hate. Droid was popular, Pezzy was not.
Pezzy did everything in his power to seem just as good as Droid. He’d pretend to sneak out to parties and that he was too ‘busy’ with other friends to hang out, just like Droid was. He was always worried that Droid might not be friends with him if he knew the truth.
The two hadn’t talked in a while. School and family had made the twos schedule impossible to intertwine. First semester has come to an end though, which meant it was Christmas break. Droids family and Pezzys always had Christmas together, meaning he’d finally see Droid again after all these months being haunted by him.
He was excited to say the least. He still had a handmade charm bracelet that Droid made using his sisters friendship bracelet kit all those years ago. It was blue and pink, interwoven with beads that said the words ‘Dorids+Pezzy’. It was stupid and not well made but Pezzy always wore it like he did his watch. That of which was broken and remained behind by thirty minutes.
“Pezzy!”
His mom shouted again. He was in the living room, staring at the TV lost in thought. He didn’t even hear her walk in. Pezzy looked to her, “Yeah?” He asked. “I need this place spotless for tonight, okay? Do me a favor and clean up around here” His mom instructed, picking her laundry basket back up and moving along. Pezzys house on Christmas was always like a beehive.
Everyone was buzzing about and making a general ruckus. His mom was the queen bee, so naturally everyone had to follow her demands. His dad was smart and learned to hide away in the garage until most of the chores were done. Pezzy and his siblings didn’t have as easy of an excuse. His older sister faked a migraine so she could get out of it, meaning Pezzy would have to do her chores for her. He rolled his eyes, whatever it didn’t matter to him anyway. It may be good to put his mind to something else than obsessing over memories of his best friend. Maybe even his only friend.
Needless to say the next few hours consisted of forcing everything he ever owned in his closet and ‘tidying’ up the little things in the house. Some of his work went into sorting the couch cushions and sweeping up the wooden floors. The kitchen started smelling like plain and tasteless chicken and pasta. The only things his mom knows how to cook.
It was impossible to eat any of her cooking after eating with Droids family. Spices really are amazing. Pezzy put up the broom, taking his place by the Christmas tree. He was a bit anxious that Droid might not like his present. He got him a simple evil eye bracelet, one that Pezzy was sure that Droid would like. But he wasn’t sure, because Droids opinion matters more to him than anything else.
Pezzy knew it was pretty small, but he’d wasted most of his allowance on CSGO packs and candy. Of course his family had their obligatory gifts, all of which were neatly wrapped under the tree next to Droids gift. There were some of those dumb handmade Christmas ornaments him and his siblings made cluttering up the tree. Overall this whole thing started feeling like a mess.
The front door opened and immediately Spanish started filtering through the home. That was Droids family, the only one on the street who doesn't need to knock and just invites themselves in. A second home, one could say. Pezzy shot up from the ground, almost slipping and falling on his face since his socks didn’t have any friction against the hardwood floors.
His mom had greeted them first, smiling and hugging Droids mom and beginning to discuss every aspect of all their childrens lives. Pezzy rounded the corner, scanning the miniature crowd. “Pezzwaldo!” Droid shouted, appearing from behind his dad, plenty of Christmas gifts stacked up in his arms. “Where’s your tree?” He asked, almost dropping a few of the smaller boxes on the top of the pile.
Pezzy laughed at the sight, taking a few of the gifts into his own hands and led Droid to the tree, dropping them under it haphazardly. It took milliseconds before the two were back at their antics. Racing through the home playing tag and stopping at Pezzys TV to play COD before dinner started. They could be separated for years and click again like they’d only been apart minutes.
Pezzys brother and one of Droids sisters came around to watch them play, laughing when they failed or cheering when they won. Tonight everyone was family. The games went for a couple or rounds as the parents settled down themselves. Droids dad was the one to summon everyone to the dinner table, unintentionally causing a little titlewave of kids and teens to crash into the table.
Pezzy and Droid naturally sat next to each other, sometimes stealing little morsels of food off each others plates. Conversation flowed naturally as food was passed around. Pezzy ended up sneaking pieces of his moms chicken to his cat Sly, who didn’t seem to mind the welcome treat. Overall the routine of Christmas went on as it normally did. What was Pezzy even worried about?
The routine after dinner was unfortunately making the kids wash the dishes, making an assembly line of legal child labor. At least that's how they saw it. Droid was the honorary scrubber while Pezzy would sort plates and put them away, he’d just gotten tall enough to reach most of the cabinets but occasionally he’d have to climb a counter or two. Once each dish was neatly put away and attended to, the hoard of youths migrated their way to the tree where all the adults sat around them on couches.
The youngest went first, including Pezzys sister and brother. Pezzy tried to be in the moment but he was so worried of what Droid would think of his gift that he had a hard time focusing on whose turn it was. He was the master gift giver, it was his job that Droid like it and he wouldn’t know what to do if he failed. His anxieties would soon be met though as it shifted to Droids turn, he was younger than Pezzy after all.
His parents got him some video games, his mom got him a cringe ‘get this guy a beer’ shirt and his sisters each got him little mario and luigi figurines. When he picked up Pezzys little wrapped gift Pezzy could have sworn he felt himself stop breathing. Maybe he made a mistake, everyone's gift was so much better than his. Droid pulled at the wrapping and delicately opened the box, revealing the bracelet. Droid looked up to Pezzy with a giant smile that melted all the doubt he’d been building up.
“Dude! This is sick!” Droid stuck his wrist out for Pezzy to tie on the bracelet, since he couldn’t effectively do it on his own. Pezzy grinned, “I know it isn’t much, just thought you’d like it” Droid rolled his eyes, “Of course I like it.” Droids mom also seemed to approve of the gift, it was definitely a cultural w for Pezzy.
Pezzy relaxed as his turn came around. Droid immediately shoved a similarly small box into Pezzys hand. He smiled at him as he opened it up. Inside was a simple white watch, one that mimicked his broken one. “How’d you know my watch was broken?” Pezzy asked bewildered. “I had a hunch” Droid shrugged, “fine, keep your secrets” Pezzy joked, immediately switching it out with his old one.
They huddled close in order to put their arms together to compare their new accessories. Pezzys mom made a pointed look to his dad that probably meant something, but he ignored it. The two sat side by side as Pezzy opened up a couple other gifts, mostly consisting of music stuff and treats. Once Pezzys turn was up the next person went then the next.
Each turn Droid and Pezzy would lean over and whisper something or the other, sometimes resulting in Pezzy knocking back his head in laughter. Eventually all the gifts were given and all the Christmas wishes with them. Droid had begged his mom for at least a solid five minutes to let him sleep over for the night to which his mother reluctantly agreed. Now Pezzy and Droid were lying lazily across Pezzys bed.
Snow was cascading down through the window.The neighbors blue christmas lights lit up the room as they both talked. Pezzy was laying on his stomach while Sly lay on top of him. Droid was on his back, occasionally flipping on his stomach too. Pezzy also happened to be wearing Droids team jacket since it was winter and his natural weakness was any temperature below seventy.
“Schools been weird recently” Droid mentioned, staring at Pezzys popcorn ceiling. “Yeah?” Droid shrugged, “I don’t know, it’s hard when there’s like no opportunities, y’know?” Pezzy turned his head to look at him. “Opportunities for what?” He asked. “Like with football, my coach says I can do better at a school with better sports funding”
“So you’re changing schools for the second semester?” Pezzy hinted, once again hitting the nail on the head as he usually does. Droid looked at him, something glimpsed in his eye. “What?” Pezzys eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’ll never guess which highschool I’m going to”
Uh-oh.
As far as Droid is aware Pezzy is a five star commodity. He has no idea that Pezzys just been lying this whole time and him transferring to his school would ruin all that. Pezzy floundered for a second, “Like my school? What about the friends you made in yours?” Droid shrugged, “I’m sure that Puffer and Grizzy will still exist outside of school dude” Pezzy swallowed, a pit of fear building up in his stomach.
He just had to be a chronic liar huh. “Well- uh, that's definitely news” Pezzy nonchalantly agreed, ignoring Sly who was now pawing at his hair. “I thought you’d be more excited,” Droid pointed out, once again seeing right through him. Pezzy hummed, “I just hate school, but it’ll be better with you there I guess.” Hoping to leave that conversation six feet under Pezzy switched subjects to football. Droid seemed hesitant but indulged him, talking about how Grizzy gave this one kid a concussion.
Sooner or later Droid ended up talking himself to sleep. He had a betime of nine after all, clearly not the insomniac that was laying next to him. Pezzys brow creased in worry as he watched Droids chest rise and fall. Everything just had to come crashing down at once.
Was it even reasonable to think that Droid would leave him no questions asked if he really knew he wasn’t as popular as he said he was? Pezzy glanced at the watch on his wrist then to the evil eye on Droids. Pezzy couldn’t ever look him in the face and tell him he’s been lying. That in of itself was a lie, he probably could, he just really really didn’t want to.
Who knows, maybe he can keep this facade up for at least a little bit longer. Droid and Pezzy bully each other all the time, maybe he can figure out a way to make this work. This was going to be such a mess. Pezzy face planted in his pillow, dread seeping in his skin as Sly and Droid slept soundly. Whatever, he’ll cross the bridge when he gets there, for now he’d got a couple days of sledding and watching old Christmas movies ahead of him before he dealt with everything else.