Chapter 141: Spider-Man: Brand New Day!
Liam approached the concession counter and started ordering like a man with zero regard for portion control — a large popcorn, then a second one just in case, a tray of nachos, a box of candy, three drinks, and a hot dog he added almost as an afterthought.
Darren stared at the growing pile accumulating on the counter. "You do remember we just ate an entire tasting menu a few hours ago."
"And?"
"And there’s no version of tonight where all three of us finish this."
"I didn’t say we had to finish it, at least not tonight."
"Then why order it?"
"Because I can." Liam handed his card over without a hint of hesitation, and the cashier rang it up without blinking, clearly used to far worse.
Darren shook his head, grabbing the tray of nachos before it could slide off the counter. "You know this whole lifestyle is gonna catch up with you eventually. You still going to the gym at all, or is this the new plan?"
"I go." Liam said once.
"When?"
"Regularly enough."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s the only one you’re getting." Liam fired back, not planning to explain himself any further.
Mateo trailed behind them, arms full of his own snacks, grinning at the exchange without contributing, clearly enjoying watching the two of them bicker but he was so excited to watch this movie with them.
They found their seats — center row, exactly where Liam insisted was the only acceptable viewing position — and settled in just as the previews started rolling.
Darren wasn’t much of a movie person, if he was being honest with himself. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d sat through something in a theater over the last few years, and admittedly, he had zero context for whatever cinematic universe this particular Spider-Man belonged to. He’d caught the first film years back and nothing since, missing three entire movies’ worth of Avengers-related buildup that apparently mattered a great deal based on the trailer reel alone.
"I have no idea what’s happening in half these previews," Darren muttered.
"Don’t worry about it," Mateo said, surprisingly confident. "I got you before the movie starts."
And he did — in the few minutes before the film actually began, Mateo ran through a rapid, surprisingly thorough breakdown of everything Darren had missed, hitting the major plot points with an ease that caught both Liam and Darren off guard. He was pretty good at explaining and narrating these stories.
"Damn," Darren said, genuinely impressed. "You’ve got this memorized like a textbook."
"I like this stuff," Mateo said, shrugging like it was nothing, though the small flush of pride on his face gave away how much the compliment landed. Mateo was a child at the end of the day and approval was something he sought after.
"Well, appreciate the crash course. Feel a lot less lost now."
The movie started, and true to Mateo’s setup, Darren found himself actually following along without much trouble, more invested than he expected to be given his general indifference toward this genre.
By the time the third act rolled around, he was leaning forward in his seat right alongside Mateo, both of them reacting to the same beats at the same time, while Liam sat between them steadily working through an entire bucket of popcorn he clearly had no realistic plan to finish.
When the credits rolled, all three of them filed out into the lobby, still riding the tail end of the movie’s momentum.
"That was actually really good," Darren admitted. "I didn’t expect to get that invested."
Darren knew in that moment that he might want to watch the other movies prior to this just to see if they drew him in as much as this one did.
"Told you," Mateo said.
"You did. I’ll give you that."
Liam, meanwhile, had drifted toward the gift shop near the exit, scanning the shelves of merchandise with more interest than either of them expected.
"What are you doing?" Darren asked.
"Getting him something." Liam informed him.
"Getting who what?" Darren was momentarily slow.
Liam nodded toward Mateo, already picking up a Spider-Man action figure off the shelf, turning it over to check the packaging. "Something to remember today by."
Darren watched, mildly surprised, as Liam grabbed a second item — a small keychain shaped like a web-shooter — and carried both to the register without a second thought.
Mateo, catching sight of what was happening, immediately protested. "Wait, you don’t have to—"
"Too late," Liam said, already paying. "Already bought it."
He handed the bag over, and Mateo took it carefully, pulling the action figure out to examine it properly, something soft and unguarded crossing his face.
"This is actually really cool," Mateo said quietly.
"Figured you’d like it." Liam said with a pat on the head. He couldn’t believe he was doing any of this because if someone told him he would be doing this few weeks ago.
He would have pointed the middle finger at them, Liam knew in that moment that he didn’t mind how his life turned out, not one bit.
Mateo looked up, and for a second the composed, careful version of himself he usually wore in public slipped entirely, replaced by something younger, more open — genuine, uncomplicated excitement, the kind sixteen-year-olds weren’t always supposed to still have room for.
"Thanks, Liam. Seriously." Mateo showed his gratitude, Liam had intergetrated himself into his life and made sure Mateo understood that he was yet to stay.
"Don’t mention it." Liam downplayed it because he didn’t expect Mateo to leave her empty handed after all. This was a day for the boys.
Mateo turned the figure over in his hands one more time, grinning to himself, and fell into step behind them as they made their way out of the cinema, still clutching the bag like it was something far more valuable than a five-dollar toy.
Darren looked at Liam, he could see the softness in his eyes and understood in that moment why Liam was so taken with Mateo.
"He reminds you of him, huh?" Darren thought to himself.