AN: Haha I wrote this last year but never posted it? It actually belonged on my blog but here it is on . Because it's the appetizer, if you will, to something I'm posting on December 1st to the 24th. You'll just have to check back then.

Anyway! Enjoy this little ficlet and of course, enjoy the holiday, my American readers.

Augustus' favorite thing about America?

Thanksgiving.

Of course, they had something akin to the holiday in Germany -Erntedankfest - but that was more of a religious holiday in October. The American holiday was so much better. In fact, right after Halloween night when you were finishing the last of your candy, they started to hype it up - bringing out pilgrim and turkey statues and fall-leave decorated throw pillows and always, always advertising for specials for turkey and pumpkin pie filling at grocery stores.

(Not as much as Christmas, but it was enough to get Augustus excited for something new. Not just for a holiday he already celebrate and loved.)

But what wasn't there to love?

It was a whole day centered around a massive feast!

Turkey. Stuffing. Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. Pumpkin pie.

It was going to become his favorite holiday, Augustus knew it.

And how nice it was of the Teavee family to invite the Gloops over for their first real, authentic, American Thanksgiving.

"Just bring a side dish and a dessert and we'll take care of the rest!" Doris Teavee had told them when she stopped by the butcher's shop to pick out her turkey to serve at the dinner.

Of course, they weren't the only guests to be invited to the feast. Apparently Mr. Teavee had invited the principal of the local high school and his family over as well. Norman Teavee was up for a bit of a promotion - head of the school's Social Studies department. So this dinner was very important. She prayed that everything would go well - especially with Mike.

((Which was a reason, she later confessed, that she invited the Gloops to Thanksgiving. At least with Augustus there, Mike would have a companion and would hopefully be on better behavior.))

Serving as a companion to their loud motuthed son or not, Augustus could hardly wait as the family drove out to the edge of town where the Teavees lived, and stood outside the home in the weak November snowfall baring dishes of chocolate and strawberry pretzel pie and buttery spätzle . His mother had them all dressed up - Augustus and his father is new shirts and ties and dress pants and she in a new dress and makeup lavish.

Augustus' dress pants were too small both in the waist and in the legs. And the tie made him feel like someone was trying to choke him.

But these things were suddenly unimportant when Mrs. Teavee - looking as dolled-up as Mrs. Gloop, only with an apron draped over her pleated dress and a oven mitt tucked under her arm - opened the door and the smell of turkey, pumpkin, and potato heaven wafted towards him in a magnificent breeze of warm.

"Hello! Hello!" She was bright and happy to see them - perhaps a little too happy. But she had people to impress - she always got this way when she had to set the Teavees up as the wholesome, all-American family. "Happy Thanksgiving! May I take your coats?"

Augustus shrugged off his dress coat - too small in the arms and the third button refused to budge - and handed it to her as she collected Mr. and Mrs. Gloop's coats.

As she was stuffing the coats way in the closet in the foyer, she asked "Elsie? Can you help me un-can everything for the green bean casserole? I haven't started on that yet."

"Of course," Augustus' mother answered and went inside the warm kitchen. She was, after all, something of a master cook and was happy to help.

Mr. Gloop, however, thought he could escape it and watch the Macy's Parade on the television with Mr. Teavee. Not so.

"And Dietrich? Could you and Norman set up the dining room table? We need seating for ten people."

Mr. Gloop nodded and went into the dining room to help Norman - who probably didn't even know he was supposed to be helping - make the table long enough to cram in the ten hungry people.

But the hungriest of them all didn't have anything to do. Except for maybe stealing a few dinner rolls from the kitchen.

And Mike was nowhere to be seen.

So before Mrs. Teavee vanished back into the realm of the kitchen, Augustus asked, "Where is Mike?"

"Oh, Mike is just in his room," Mrs. Teavee admitted with a weak laugh. "He'll be out soon . . . hopefully. And I pray with a better attitude. But he'll be happy to see you!"

After she vanished back to go check on how the turkey was roasting, Augustus went down the hallway to the more private portion of the Teavee home, where all the bedrooms were situated.

Mike's door was shut. KEEP OUT. DANGER: MIKE'S ROOM. DO NOT ENTER.

But Augustus did. He knocked softly first, but decided to enter because he knew Mike would never want to open the door for anyone. It was very rude, but what else was he going to do?

His friend was sitting on his (unmade) bed, leaning up against the backboard, a red necktie draped over the side, dress shoes carelessly kicked aside on the dirty floor. His mother tried to dress him up as well.

"Get lost!" Mike said at once, not even looking up from the hand-held gaming device in his hand. Defeating zombies or whatever it the creatures were was much, much more important than human contact.

"What are you doing, Mike?" Augustus implored.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" But Augustus was his friend, so he decided to dial it down on the mouth. For once. "Mom said I had two options for today - I could go out and 'enjoy' Thanksgiving or I can stay in my room and pretend I'm not here. I'm doing just that"

"And you are doing this because . . . "

"Because I hate Thanksgiving."

Augustus blinked. Once. Twice. Hating this holiday seemed unfathomable. "Why?"

"Look, Gus," Mike paused the zombies set down his game. "You don't know this, but once you've had a few of these holidays, they are a total pain in the ass."

"But . . . isn't Thanksgiving about friends and family and food? You do not want to be close to your loved ones today?" How could anyone hate today? It was everything Augustus loved!

"God, did you get everything you know about Thanksgiving from the Peanuts special? I don't want to be with my family and especially those people Dad invited." His voice dripped in venom.

"Not with me?" Augustus asked. "Because it would not be a very good first Thanksgiving without my best friend"

Silence.

Once in a while Augustus knew he could get to the other's softer side. A side so rarely seen.

"God, Gus," Mike said after a moment. He shoved the game away and slipped on his dress shoes. "You can stop with the stupid big eyes. They're creeping me out."

He stood up and gave a sigh. "I'm coming out." He then looked over Augustus.

"But ditch the tie."

Deal.