Chapter Text
1980 - Age 8
When Exer is eight years old, his dad gets a call that makes his face go pale. He tells Exer to grab a coat and backpack; he’s going to have to drop him off at the arcade to spend the afternoon.
“Sorry kiddo,” Harry says on the car ride over. “Emergency session today. I should be able to pick you up in about three hours, though. You’ve got Fluff, right?”
Exer unzips the backpack in his lap to check that his little stuffed brown bear is in there. He will be, of course — Exer doesn’t go anywhere without him — but you can never be too sure.
“Yup,” Exer responds upon feeling the soft (but significantly less ‘Fluff-y’ after years of love) bear.
Harry smiles.
“Good, he can keep you company. I put money in the inside zipper pocket, make sure you leave some leftover to get food if you get hungry, okay? Don’t spend it all on tokens.”
Exer nods.
“And theres a slip of paper with my office phone number on it. If you need anything, you find an adult who works there and say you need to use the phone. Lucy will answer if you call, okay?"
“I know, Dad, I'll call if I need you.”
Harry sighs as they pull up to the entrance. An illuminated neon sign saying ‘Game Over’ shines brightly, even in the daytime, and sits above two dark, tinted glass doors.
“I’m really sorry about this, Exer; but it’s an emergency, so I have to be there,” he says apologetically.
Exer shrugs, not really sure what the big deal is.
He definitely prefers doing things with his dad, or a friend from school. But doing stuff alone is fine. Besides, he doesn’t really know any of the students outside his immediate classroom, and a lot of the kids in his class think he’s weird for still bringing a stuffed animal to school, so his playdates are quite infrequent.
He doesn’t mind though. Just like he doesn’t mind being at the arcade alone, now. There are plenty of fun one-player games. And he’s got Fluff with him, so it won’t be too bad.
“It’s okay Dad, seriously. I love you. I’ll see you later,” he says, leaning over to give his dad a big hug.
“I love you too, son. So much,” he emphasizes with a squeeze before pulling away to look Exer in the eyes with a serious expression. “And remember, don’t—"
“Don’t step foot outside the arcade until you get here, no matter what. I know. I’m not stupid!” Exer says exasperatedly, gripping the handle of the car door.
“I know you’re a smart kid, but it’s my job to worry about you!” Harry chuckles. “Have fun, kiddo.”
Exer smiles and makes his way out of the car and into the arcade.
Once he’s safely inside, double doors closed behind him, Exer sees his dad pull away.
Ten dollars worth of tokens later, Exer is standing in the middle of the arcade, making a game plan.
Thankfully, the place isn’t as busy as he thought it might be. There’s still a line to play Pacman — because there always is, it’s practically brand new and so much fun — but most of the other machines are available.
Exer decides to start with Skee-Ball, because it’s his favorite, and heads across the black and neon patterned carpet to the back left corner of the building that he is all too familiar with.
On his way over, he spots a bright ball of color stuffed in between two pinball machines.
It’s a kid, brilliant blonde hair and pale skin, wearing a vibrant pink and yellow button up t-shirt and blue shorts. He’s shaking.
“Hey,” Exer says, without even really meaning to. “Are you okay?”
The boy looks up and Exer is met with the most stunning eyes— light blue like the sky, and sparkling from the flashing arcade game lights.
They stare at each other for a minute before Exer speaks again.
“Are you here by yourself?” He asks.
The blonde boy nods.
“Is that why you’re upset? Because I’m here alone, too. It’s okay.”
The boy shakes his head.
“Mommy and Daddy were fighting pretty loud, and I started crying which made Daddy more mad. So Mommy brought Brenda to her best friend Pamela’s house; but I don’t have a best friend.” Exer feels tight in his chest when those light blue eyes begin to fill with tears. “Daddy just left me here, instead.”
“My dad had to go into work today, so he dropped me and Fluff off,” Exer responds, not really knowing what else to say.
“Fluff?” The boy asks curiously.
Exer smiles and pulls his stuffed bear out of his bag, easily handing it over to the blue eyed boy in front of him. He watches as the boy hugs it close to his chest, feeling sad and good at the same time.
“I can be your best friend, if you want,” Exer says.
The blonde boy looks up.
“You don’t have a best friend already?” He asks incredulously.
Exer shakes his head. “My dad, maybe. And Fluff,” he gestures to the bear wrapped in the other boy’s arms.
“Oh, sorry,” the boy says, scrambling to his feet and attempting to hand the little brown bear back over. He’s an inch or two taller than Exer when he stands.
“No, you can hold him. You’re my best friend now, you’re allowed.”
“You don’t even know my name,” he says, tilting his head a little and giving Exer a funny look.
Exer shrugs.
“Well then, what is it?”
“David,” the blonde boy says slowly, still a bit skeptical of Exer’s easy offering of friendship.
“Hi David, I’m Exer. Wanna be my best friend?” He asks, holding out his right hand to shake; like he’s seen his dad do sometimes when being really serious and professional. And having a best friend feels like really serious business.
David looks at Exer’s outstretched hand for a moment before peeling one arm away from Fluff and taking Exer’s hand — not with his own right hand to shake, but with his left — to hold.
“Okay,” he smiles, securely clutching Exer’s bear in one hand and Exer in the other.
Exer feels tight in his chest again, but it’s different than the bad way it felt before. This time it feels— he’s not exactly sure, but it’s definitely good.
He faintly registers the song playing through the big speaker on the wall, one him and his dad sing along to when it comes on the radio.
This thing called love, I just can’t handle it.
“Wanna play Skee-Ball with me?” He asks.
David nods and Exer leads them in the right direction, hand in hand.
I ain’t ready. Crazy little thing called love.
They play Skee-Ball for a while before moving on to air hockey, where they lament about how unfair it is that a game so fun doesn’t earn them any tickets. They also play Space Invaders and Galaxian and Night Driver and so, so much pinball before Exer’s stomach grumbles, and they decide to take a break to eat.
Exer orders them both nachos and soda, because David ran out of money a little while back. And David makes Exer laugh so hard that Pepsi sprays out his nose.
They’re pulling napkins from the dispenser to wipe up the table and Exer’s shirt and backpack when Exer’s dad finds them.
“Hey, son, what’s going on here?” He asks, brow furrowed but smile wide.
Exer’s smile, on the other hand, drops slightly.
“Oh, Dad, you’re here already?” He immediately feels guilty about the disappointment in his voice.
He loves his dad, and he’s glad to see him, but he was really hoping to spend more time with David.
David — who has shrunk into the corner of the booth they're sitting at, holding Fluff tightly and looking down at his lap.
Exer’s smile drops completely at the sight of it.
His dad glances between the two with an expression Exer doesn’t quite recognize.
Then he squats next to their table, putting him just below eye level.
“Hey there, kiddo,” he says to David with a soft smile. “I’m Harry, Exer’s father. What’s your name?”
David does not glance up from his lap.
“David Miller, sir,” he says, in a tone so different than the one he just used to make Exer spew soda from his nose. It’s formal and stiff and quiet compared to the silly, loud, talkative David that Exer has gotten to know over the past two and a half hours.
“No need to call me sir, David. It’s nice to meet you.”
David still doesn’t look up.
“I see you’re holding Fluff. You know, Exer doesn’t let just anyone hold Fluff,” he says, glancing at Exer with a knowing smile.
Exer blushes a little; but when David looks up at him with wonder, he feels himself go fully scarlet.
“Really?” He asks quietly, daring to peek at Exer’s dad for a moment.
Exer’s dad has a funny look on his face again, but it’s something different. It’s gone in a flash, and he is smiling warmly at David.
“Really. You must be pretty special.”
“David is my best friend,” Exer states proudly.
David smiles and squeezes Fluff tightly.
“Exer’s my best friend, too,” he says shyly.
“Wow, that is very special,” Exer’s dad exclaims. “Do you two know each other from school?”
“No. We met basically right after you dropped me off,” Exer explains. “Then we played Skee-Ball and a bunch of other stuff. We didn’t get to play Pac-Man, though.”
“Well that’s too bad. Did you run out of tokens?” His dad frowns.
“No, we were just going to eat first.”
“There’s a really long line, anyway,” David adds.
“If you two are done eating, I could throw all this out while you get in line to play. Hopefully you can get a game or two in before it's time to go. What time are your parents coming to pick you up, David?”
David immediately shrinks again.
“I think in just a half hour or so, sir.”
Exer isn’t sure why David decided to lie, and it makes him feel queasy. He knows that David’s father left him without setting a time to come pick him up. He told Exer this earlier, while indiscriminately smashing the buttons on a Star Trek pinball machine and somehow racking up tons of points.
“Perfect, I’d love to meet them! I’ll wait here, and you two can get some extra time to play together.”
David’s eyes go wide.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to wait, sir. You must be tired, Exer told me you had to work extra today,” he says with a frantic edge in his voice.
His dad’s eyebrows raise.
“Just call me Harry, son, really. And I’m alright, but thank you for your concern. We wouldn’t want to leave you here by yourself.”
David hesitates before plastering a weird smile on his face.
“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Harry. We should go get in line for Pac-Man.”
“David—" Exer starts, as they file in behind a group of teenagers.
The desperate look David gives him shuts him up instantly, and they wait for their turn in silence.
Exer is mostly glad to have the extra time with David, and they do end up having a lot of fun; but every time he finds himself really enjoying it, he remembers David’s lie and his stomach twists up at the thought of getting caught in it. Maybe, by some stroke of luck, David’s father will show up to get him in the next half hour, and Exer’s dad will never know the difference. But based on everything Exer has learned about David’s dad in the brief time he’s known him, he sorely doubts it.
A half hour passes, and then another.
They play a few different games, and fail over and over at the claw machine.
No sign of Mr. Miller.
Then another half hour. And another.
By this point, David and Exer have called it a day. They’ve traded in their tickets for two bouncy balls, a sticky hand, and an assortment of candy; and they’re sitting with Exer’s dad in the booth they were laughing in earlier. It feels like an entirely different table now.
Exer is leaning on his dad’s shoulder and David sits across from them, stiff and quiet and staring at the door.
Exer’s dad is doing his best to keep things light. He asks David questions about school, who his teacher is and whether he likes them, if he plays any sports, if he likes to draw. David answers politely, but Exer can practically feel the anxiety exuding from him when he apologizes just about every three minutes.
“Sir— uh, Mr. Harry, sorry,” he corrects himself. “Maybe you and Exer should go home. I really don’t mind waiting by myself. Besides, my dad won’t come in to talk when he gets here, anyway. He usually just honks.”
It’s the most David has spoken in front of Exer’s dad, and while he is still clearly tense, he seems to be getting a bit more comfortable, which Exer isn’t surprised by.
Everyone likes his dad, he’s the best.
“Do you think something came up? We could drive you home, you know. It would be no problem,” his dad offers.
David hesitates. He fidgets in his seat and gives the door one last longing stare; like if he looks hard enough, he can magically make his parents appear.
“Sure.”
After a car ride of fretting about potentially facing David’s father, Exer is relieved when a woman answers the door.
“David, sweetie, what are you doing here?” She sounds surprised, glancing between David, Exer, and his father with concern and confusion. “Did something happen?”
“Oh, he’s okay,” Exer’s dad says with a warm smile. “I was just picking Exer here up, and we figured we’d offer to give David a ride home too. He told me someone was supposed to pick him up a little bit ago, I guess we just had a small miscommunication.”
Exer has always admired how easily his dad can diffuse the tension in any awkward situation.
“Hi, sorry, I’m Christine. Christine Miller,” she offers her hand.
“Harry Campbell. Pleasure,” his dad smiles and shakes her hand.
“Thank you for picking David up, I appreciate it. Sorry about the confusion, I was under the impression he was staying for dinner.”
“Dinner?” His dad echoes, confused.
“We ate a little,” Exer offers, feeling helpful. “Game Over has really good nachos.”
“Game Over?” Mrs. Miller asks.
“The arcade,” Exer clarifies.
She frowns and looks to David.
“Your father told me you were at a friend’s house, and that you would be there for a few more hours.” It’s obvious that she’s really angry, but trying really hard not to sound like it. Exer suspects that’s probably because it’s not directed at David, at all.
David hasn’t spoken a word since they left the arcade, other than occasionally piping up to give Exer’s dad directions to his house. He’s standing close enough to Exer that their arms are touching, and Fluff is practically glued to his chest.
Mrs. Miller directs her attention back to Exer’s dad.
“I am so sorry about all of this. My husband had David while I was dropping his sister off at her friend’s for a sleepover. I had no idea David was at the arcade this entire time,” her voice gets shaky, like her anger has morphed into guilt and she’s going to start crying. “I would’ve picked him up hours ago.”
“Ah,” his dad waves a hand dismissively. “Like I said, just a minor miscommunication, it happens. Besides, it was no problem. David is a wonderful kid, and it was really nice getting to know him a little.”
Mrs. Miller smiles at Exer’s dad gratefully before squatting down to David’s height. She puts a gentle hand on his cheek.
“What a cute bear. Did you win that today, baby?”
“No,” David speaks, finally. “He’s Exer’s. His name is Fluff.”
She smiles warmly.
“Why don’t you return Fluff to Exer, and say thank you to him and Mr. Campbell. Then we can go inside and I’ll make us something yummy for dinner, yeah?”
David sighs, and, once again, tries to give the stuffed bear back to Exer.
Their eyes meet, David’s shimmering slightly, and once again, Exer refuses it.
“It’s okay, you can hold onto him for now. Just bring him to school on Monday, please, and you can give him back at recess.”
David crushes him in a hug and Exer can’t help the wide smile spreading on his face.
“That was really nice of you to lend Fluff to David. And very brave, too. I know he means a lot to you,” His dad says once they’re back in the car.
Exer nods, not entirely certain whether his dad is referring to his new best friend or the bear.
“I think he needed Fluff more than me,” he shrugs.
His dad hums in acknowledgment.
“David is kind of a funny kid, huh?” He says carefully, turning the car on.
Exer doesn’t reply. He can tell by his tone of voice that his dad is asking a different question.
Exer doesn’t know what, though.
“Why do you think he told us Mr. Miller was picking him up at a different time?” His dad tries again.
“He didn’t tell us that.”
His dad glances to Exer for a second, before directing his eyes back toward the road.
“What do you mean? When I asked, he told us—”
“He didn’t tell us, he told you,” Exer sighs. “He told me earlier that he didn’t know when his dad was coming to get him.”
“Oh. Well then why didn’t you tell me?”
Exer feels weird.
“I don’t know,” he murmurs, “his dad seems kind of scary.”
“You met David’s father?”
“No, just based on what he told me.”
“Hmm,” his dad nods, not pushing any further for now.
The car is silent for a bit, and Exer lets his head rest on the window, watching the houses go by.
“What type of stuff did David tell you about his dad that makes you say he seems scary?”
“He yells a lot, and breaks stuff when he’s angry. He says mean things to David, but not Brenda—”
“Brenda?”
“His twin sister.”
His dad goes quiet again for a minute and Exer fidgets in the silence.
“Does he— does he hurt David? Physically?” His dad asks finally. His eyes are locked on the road, and he’s speaking in a very calm and neutral tone, especially considering the content of what he’s asking.
The question makes Exer’s stomach turn. He swallows.
“He never said.” It’s the truth. David never mentioned his dad being violent toward him.
The thought still makes Exer uneasy.
“Do you promise you’re telling me the truth? You can tell me, I would never try to do anything that would make things worse for David.”
“Yes, Dad. I promise.”
More silence.
“Well that’s good, at least. David seems like a really good kid. You should invite him over sometime, I’m sure he would like that,” his dad suggests casually while clicking on the radio.
One of the knots in Exer’s stomach unwinds.
He was worried this whole situation had made his dad dislike David. And David is his best friend — his first and only real best friend, and he plans on keeping it that way, thank you very much — so that just wouldn’t do.
“I would like that too,” Exer grins.
Whatever overplayed song was playing ends, and another easily recognizable tune begins. Exer can’t stop himself from humming along.
“So, you’ve got a best friend, huh?” His dad says, briefly taking his eyes off the road to smile at Exer.
Exer beams back at him.
“Yea.”
I kinda like it. Crazy little thing called love.