#mikeynardo

"It's cold," he moaned. Leo laughed lightly, hooking his arm through Mikey's.

"Let's not sit too far apart, then."

He brought them to the edge of the tower, facing away from Manhattan Bridge, and sat them down. He unhooked his arm, but scooched almost impossibly closer to Mikey's side after.

"We won't be too cold like this."

Mikey smiled and pressed his leg close to Leo's.

A quiet mist draped itself across the East River, swaying and curling along to the rhythm of the current. More pedestrians filed in, filling the bridge almost to the brim, but their voices didn't carry up to their secluded spot, and the noise of the cars passing by even below the crowd was but a murmuring background rumble.

"I can't believe they're missing out on this," Mikey said. None of them had ever properly seen fireworks before, not like this, and the ambience threaded through the evening purled pleasantly, cut through the cold of the night to replace it was a sort of crisp warmth Mikey was unfamiliar with.

"Psh, their loss," Leo said, leaning back on his hands. "Now I get to hang out with my favorite little brother."

This warmth, Mikey was entirely familiar with, curling soft like a hearth in his belly.

"I'm your only little brother," he shot back. Though he couldn't contain a pleased little grin.

"We all agreed Donnie's younger than me."

No, they definitely hadn't, but Mikey graciously elected to ignore it, and said instead -

"And I'm still your favorite?"

"Of course you are." A teasing smile. "At least, until the next time you cheat me out of pizza."

"Hey! That was one time!"

Leo raised an eyebrow ridge at him.

"Okay, a couple-a times. But you can't take my 'favorite brother' spot for that!"

"Oh-ho, you've graduated yourself from favorite little brother to favorite brother, hm?" At his pout, Leo's smile grew. "You're not wrong, lil' bro. But sounds to me you're vying for the 'All-Time Favorite Brother' spot, and I gotta tell you, that doesn't come cheap."

Mikey squinted at Leo, who put on his best charming grin. He huffed.

"Nevermind then."

"Awww, come on, Mikey! You didn't even hear me out!"

"Nuh-uh, I don't wanna know. You're going to want something ridiculous!"

"That's not true! It's nothing bad or crazy, Mike, really -"

Mikey shook his head. "No, nope, I'll work my way back up when the time comes, but I'm not going to do whatever it is you're going to ask for."

"I was just gonna ask for some quality time," Leo managed to make his petulant mumble sound like a whine and, somehow, entirely endearing. It almost made Mikey waver and melt, when, quieter: "And pizza privileges..."

"Aha! I knew it! Sorry, bro, you're not getting any extra pizza from me."

"You're so mean to me," Leo whined, letting his head fall against Mikey's. "That's why you're my second-favorite little brother."

He laughed, despite himself. "Leo, c'moonnn!"

"Favorite little brother privileges revoked."

"I didn't even know there were any!"

Leo's frame shook with silent laughter, face turned into Mikey's shoulder, and Mikey hid his own grin behind his hand, chuckles bubbling joyful and unbidden up his throat.

The loud, shrill honking of a horn - usually reserved for sports events - shocked them out of the reverie of their shared moment. They jumped, torn briefly apart, and leaned over the edge to peer downward. A group of particularly rowdy college students had made a personal circle among the throngs of people packed together like sardines and were prematurely cheering the coming of the new year.

Tension slipped from them with twin sighs of relief. They caught each others' eye, and shared a smile, bumping back together.

It was another twenty minutes before midnight drew near, spent huddled together, sharing sweet snacks snuck from Dad's not-so secret premium stash, exchanging words and laughs in hushed tones, as if they were secret sweethearts sneaking around.

Then, the people below grew excited, impatient, and one quick glance at the clock told them it was only one more minute until midnight.

"Ready, Miguel?"

Mikey nodded, and excited jitter curling his toes, making it hard to sit still. His fingers dug into the hard edge of the tower, hoping to transfer some of his anticipation into the cold stone.

The crowd counted down, Mikey and Leo joining from their perch atop the bridge.

3...

2...

1...

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Their voices, only clear to them, still mingled with the crowd, becoming part of a larger unit, a joyous clamor, and then the words faded and fell into loud cheers.

The first whistle of a firework rocket rung through the air. It burst, high above them, into a glittering circle of bright red, and the crowd went wild. Mikey watched with awe as the embers lingered before starting their descent, but a series of silver and blue going up drew his attention instead. One firework after another was launched into the air, shattering into dazzling colors with loud, yet contained bangs and crackles  - plumes, perfect circles, spirals, a small pointed star, raining down and sizzling out before they were half-way to the East River.

It was like nothing Mikey's ever seen before, a bright dance of light that was somehow both cohesive and disjointed, a beautiful piece of showmanship and art painted in the sky.

He turned to Leo, excited praise on his tongue, but it fizzled out along with the latest plume before it could be given sound.

Leo's eyes danced more brightly than the fireworks, full of almost child-like wonder. He was leaning forward, as if he were one step away from holding out his hands and snatching a blooming fire-flower out of the sky. His face, open and at ease, was a canvas of color. Mikey had never seen anything more breathtaking.

A glance - Leo noticed him staring, but Mikey couldn't make himself look away - and then Leo turned to him, and smiled, and if Mikey's breath wasn't already stolen, that smile would make it hitch all over again, because it was soft, so, so soft, and Mikey wanted to hold him - wanted to hold his hands and curl into his warmth; wanted to cup his face, tender and adoring; wanted to carry that wonderful smile in the palm of his hand and hold it close, so he could keep it safe and nothing could ever steal it away.

"Happy new year, Mikey," Leo whispered.

Breathlessly, Mikey said: "Happy new year, Leo."

The smile grew. Leo winked at him, and grabbed Mikey's hand, entangling them, and for the first time since he received them, Mikey cursed the mittens keeping him warm. Leo gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and returned to watching the fireworks, but Mikey was stuck on Leo.

It was like someone had lit a sparkler in his chest, and its gentle light illuminated the space between them - differently, than before. Time stretched endlessly, and in that moment, they were the only ones occupying their little stretch of universe, though the knowledge that it would be over all too soon, when the final light went out, was a niggling blight at the back of his mind.

If he could stay here, together with Leo, for eternity, it wouldn't be long enough.