Mikey didn’t necessarily hate Christmas… he just had a very strong dislike of the holiday, that was all.
In part, it had to do with the hypocritical talks of peace and good will towards men. Everyone else in his school was going the extra mile to be nice to everyone except him. If anything, he was treated worse by almost everyone, and what few friends he did have were treating his wounds more often.
In part, commercialism was to blame. He was tired of everyone rushing to get gifts at overcrowded malls and the stupid (but delicious) candy canes. He was tired of the holiday specials that showed the so-called meaning of Christmas, but nobody ever took them seriously.
The worst of it, though, was that he was deemed a bad guy for not participating in the so-called good will. When their school held an ugly sweater contest, Mikey wanted no part in it, and was beat up for not being in the spirit, when he knew damn well that he’d encounter the same beating if he wore the Merry Bucking Christmas sweater that Gerard bought him the year earlier.
Honestly, Mikey would probably celebrate Festivus instead- at least then he could rant about how commercialized Christmas has become without being judged.
He did have a small circle of friends that did listen to him and did understand him, but they didn’t necessarily agree with him. Mikey was fine with that, as long as they didn’t try to change his mind.
One friend in particular, Pete, was always willing to listen to Mikey, no matter what the topic was. If Mikey was hurting, whether it was physically, mentally, or emotionally, Pete was always there with a tight hug, a kind word, and a comforting smile. He’d listen to the younger’s rants without complaint and offer what advice he could.
One particular day, Mikey didn’t really have anything to rant about or have any need to cry. This time, as the two were walking home from school, Pete brought something up to his younger friend that honestly didn’t come to a surprise.
“Mikey… what would you say if I told you I was bisexual?”
Mikey stopped in his tracks to think about it. It may have not come to a surprise, but Mikey never really thought about how he’d respond to it.
“Well, obviously, I wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Mikey finally said, “I mean, Gerard’s totally gay- he may not have told me yet, but I’ve seen the way he looks at Frank. And I was raised in a mostly tolerant household. I was raised to accept people for who they are.”
Pete smiled, relief evident on his face. “Thank god… I wasn’t sure if you’d still be my friend, Mikey.”
“Pete, you and I, we’ve been friends since we were, what, three? Anyway, I’ve kinda had my suspicions about it. I’m just surprised it took you that long to figure it out.”
Pete snorted. However, his smile fell and he said in a quiet voice, “I… I’m really scared to tell my parents, Mikey. Really, really scared. They’re not… y’know.”
“Do you want me to go with you if you decide to come out to them?”
“You’d do that for me, Mikey?”
“Yeah. You’d do the same for me, I know it.”
Pete pulled Mikey into a hug. “Thank you, Mikey.”
“What are friends for, Pete?” Mikey asked, “Now, do you wanna get this over with now? Or would you rather wait?”
“Let’s do it now… I mean, the sooner I tell them, the better.”
…
Mikey was very well aware that Pete’s parents weren’t exactly the most accepting. Since they were divorced and Pete only lived with his mother, though, there was much less of a chance of violence occurring.
