#Anyways it was nice to see Jer for all of like two pages!

[scarlet--wiccan]

Wanda if you don't come get your man, somebody else might!

Storm (2024) #3

[cucumbers-and-olives]

Enemies To Lovers- Part Two (Charlie Gillespie x reader)

i forgot to post this last night, oops! here it is now...

<<<part one—part three>>>

Summary: Its New Years, and you fare asked to stay in town for the annual New Years party. But what happens before and during the party? Well that’s a story!

Category: it’s a league of its own

Fandom: JATP

Paring: Charlie Gillespie x reader

Word Count: 1,960 (woah)

⚠️PLEASE READ⚠️ Warnings/Includes: if mentions of drinking, drugs, (getting) roofied/drugged, strong language and typos

Please make sure you are comfortable before reading this chapter.

A/N: so it’s a few days late, i hope you guys enjoy this NYE fic a few days after

Mandatory Thanking of the Betas: THANK YOU LOVES!!! you two literally hold me up and help me make my ideas into their finished product, so thank you!

AO3 link here (will be up by 1/7 10pm est, i’m have wifi issues at the moment)

Please don’t repost my work without my permission, in part or whole. My work can also be found on AO3 under the same username. Thank you!

“Y/N!” A woman said entering your room. It had been a week since you had arrived in the Gillespie home. In that short amount of time you had met all of Charlie’s younger cousins (there were only three, but they were a handful), celebrated Christmas the Gillespie way, and gotten into a total of five fights with Charlie over a range of things, but each one had a bigger fall out than the last. You supposed that was why at every meal your spot was next to his, an obvious way that Ms.Gillespie tried to “bring the two of you closer together.”

“Hun, you okay?” Ms.Gillespie said, her hand resting on yours. “You’ve been staring at that shirt for a while.”

“I’m alright, thank you,” You said, placing your shirt into the suitcase that lay on the floor. You were packing to leave, but you could tell that the older woman’s appearance in your room meant that you wouldn’t be leaving on your flight. You held your breath as she spoke.

“I’d like to invite you to stay through New Years. You’ve been such a help with the younger kids, and it’s been delightful to have you here.” She must have been telepathic at that point because she rushed out her next point. “And Charlie has agreed to play nice.”

“Ms.Gillespie, you are so kind, but I don’t think I have enough money-” You said, not wanting to overstay your welcome any longer.

“Nonsense, nonsense!” She cut you off. “I knew you would say this, it’s the kind of person you are, and so Charlie has found you a flight and we are paying for it.” You could tell that there was something that she was leaving out, but you could get hit with that later. Ignoring your work and your family was something that you were good at. And besides, hanging out at the Gillespie house was fun.

“Alright!” You agreed. She sweeped you up in a hug.

“Wonderful! Have you had lunch yet?” You shook your head. “Well that is perfect, I’ve got some sandwiches, so I expect to see you down in a few, okay?”

You nodded, and with that, she left, a smile on her face. You were excited to stay longer, but would Charlie’s promise hold? Would he really be nice for the remainder of your stay?

“Let’s hope so,” You said, closing your door and making your way to the kitchen. You should have been paying attention, but you weren’t. Bumping into someone, you both landed on the floor, your phones and other things flying.

“I am so sorry,” You said, picking up the various items. As you reached for one of the notebooks, your hands met and you finally saw who you had bumped into.

“Is this a game to you?” Charlie asked. His eyes were tear-stained, and you slowly noticed that some of the pages had tears on them too.

“I-” You picked his phone up along with yourself off the floor. “Are you okay?” You asked softly, tucking his phone into his back pocket, where you knew it had been before.

“Does it look like it? God, will you just fuck off! When are you leaving anyway?” He grumbled, his previously sad tone taking on a very harsh one. His hand that used to lay by his side was now in a very tight fist.

“I’m leaving after New Years. Your mom asked me to stay, and she’s paying for the flight back,” You said, answering honestly. You didn’t know what happened when he got angry- really, truly angry. And you didn’t want to see it.

“That’s why she had me- Oh my god, no. Just no.” He barked, stalking off.

“Yeah, you know what, fuck you too,” You whispered hotly, calming yourself down as you walked into the kitchen.

~

“Cause I don’t care when I’m with my baby yeah,” You sang along with the T.V. You enjoyed dancing to the Wii, and you hadn't minded when Anna had asked you to join. But the same song had played over five times now.

As the song ended, you placed your control down. “Gimme ten minutes, okay? I just gotta get some water,” She nodded, and you stepped out of the room and entered the kitchen.

“Is it this cabinet?” You said, opening the cabinet that you guessed the glasses were in. They weren’t in that one. Or the next, or the next or the next.

“Excuse me,” Charlie said, stepping around you to open a cabinet you could have sworn you had opened. He grabbed a glass and closed the cabinet, and poured himself a glass of water.

You opened the cabinet to grab a glass, but they seemed just out of your reach. You got on your tiptoes, and your fingers just brushed the edge of the glass.

He let out a little chuckle and grabbed the glass, and filled it up. “Thank you,” You said, reaching for it.

“Oh, you thought this was for you?” He feigned shock. “This is for Anna, she asked me to grab her a glass.”

“Are you kidding me?” You shouted after his retreating form. Sighing, you decided you could do without water as you walked back into the game room.

He sat smugly on the couch, sipping at his glass of water.

“Come on, let’s play!” Anna said, tugging at your hand.

“What song?” You asked, looking to the screen as she pressed play.

“I love it when you call me senorita, I wish I could pretend I didn’t need ya,” Anna sang to the track.

You felt the beat and began to follow the moves on the screen. You knew Charlie was staring at you, and so you made everything bigger. More power, more accuracy, more everything.

When the song ended, he walked out of the room, but he backtracked to whisper something in your ear.

“Strictly professional, Ms.Y/L/N. You aren’t that good of a dancer.”

~

“What do you think of this, Anna?” You said, showing the young girl the sparkling black dress you had on.

“You need more color! And that’s too shiny, and you wore it to Christmas dinner, and-“ She could have kept going, but she caught sight of something in your closet and pulled it out. “This! This is perfect!” Red, off-the shoulder, a leg slit, it was something you would never wear in a million years.

“I’ll… try it on?” You said, and Anna smiled as you stepped into the bathroom.

You pulled it off the black dress and put on the red one, but as you zipped up the back of the dress there was something in the way. A little card.

“Huh,” You were confused as you pulled it out, but as you read it, everything made sense.

You placed the card down to look at yourself in the mirror. The dress fit perfectly, falling down every curve perfectly. It wasn’t you that you saw in the mirror. It was who you pictured in your mind when you thought of yourself.

“Can I see it now?” Anna asked, knocking on the door.

“Yeah,” You said, opening the door.

“Woah,” She gasped softly, looking you up and down. “I think Charlie’s gonna love it.”

Before you could say anything in response, Anna ran out of the room.

~

“Really?”’ You said as you accepted the call on your phone. “I look amazing, but why?”

“Remind me what you’re talking about?” Savannah asked.

“Your acting is on point, Savannah Lee May.”

“Ooh, full name, I’m so scared!” She laughed. “You look good in red, and I knew you would need a dress for New Years!”

“Ya know, if you want to switch to facetime, all you need to do is ask. And the answer is yes.” You rolled your eyes as she squealed, quickly switching to facetime.

“You look stunning!” She gasped. “I wish I could pull off a dress that good!” She whined a bit.

“Who are you talking to?” Owen hollered in the background.

“Y/N! She looks amazing in the dress, come see!”

“Hey Y/N,” Owen said, stepping into frame. He made a face at Savannah. “If she wears that, you have to deal with Charlie when he calls to ruin my New Years.”

“What does he mean?” You asked. Savannah muted herself and had a heated argument with Owen before answering you.

“When we were drunk one time, Charlie talked about his ex. Specifically, the dress she always wore. A red off the shoulder with,” You cut her off.

“With one leg slit. Well that is specific, and I am not the woman that he wants to see in it.”

“It goes further,” She said. “The only people that heard that conversation were Jer, Caroline, Owen and I. So he’ll know that I did this, and he will call Owen to let out his frustration. He’s a nice guy, in that he’ll only yell at men. Truly yell.”

“Wow. So you are sending me into a death trap?”

“Not exactly-“ Owen’s phone rang, cutting her off.

“It’s him! Get over here and answer the phone for me please, Sav!” Owen shouted.

“Who?”

“Anna must’ve told him. She found the dress in my stuff.” You told her and she sighed, hanging up.

~

Music played loudly, filling every corner of the house. And where the music was, there were people. Maybe 75 or so, but it was only 11:30, and you had a feeling that number would increase. You didn’t know what, or more specifically who you were looking for as you scanned the room you were in.

“Hey doll, have a drink!” A random man said, and as he walked by he passed a drink to you. A clear but faintly yellow liquid was in the cup. You didn’t want to know what it was.

“Bottoms up-“ You said, about to tip the cup back and down it before someone pulled it out of your hands.

“I may despise you, but I am not about to let you get roofied,” Charlie said, handing you a beer. “Don’t you know that you have to be holding something at one of these kinds of parties?”

“I didn’t realize it was gonna be one of these kinds of parties,” You muttered, taking a swig of the beer.

“It’s always been like this,” He said, watching all of the couples.

“How close are we to midnight?” You asked.

“Maybe 30 miniutes? I’m gonna go see how my family is.” He said, leaving you in your tiny corner.

~

“10,” The room continued to chant.

You searched the room for Charlie, or at least a familiar face. Couples surrounded you, preparing to kiss at midnight. And you, like a 5 year old, prepared to cover your eyes.

“9,” There was no sign of him, but there were a few men around the room with a similar haircut. You slowly ruled them out.

“8,” His hair was too short.

“7,” His was too dark.

“6,” He was too short.

“5, 4,” You started to give up, just as you saw a couple emerge from one of the back rooms. That couldn’t be him, could it?

“3!” But that was his voice.

“2!” And that was his jacket. Your face dropped as you prepared yourself. You knew what the incoming trainwreck was but you couldn’t look away.

“Happy New Year!” The couples shouted before pulling their lover close.

You watched as his lips met hers. You looked for a bit too long before tearing your eyes away and stalking to your room. But you couldn’t help but look back, and when you did, your eyes met his for a moment.

And the mood shifted.

~

Send me an ask if you’d like to join my tag list(s)! Strike through means i wasn’t able to tag you.

Enemies to Lovers Tag List: @yagorlemmalyn @ifilwtmfc @kaitieskidmore1 @p0uge420

JATP: @n0wornever @unsaidmegan @calamitykaty @screwunsaidemily @crybabyddl @badwolf00593

All: @funsizearsonist

[randomimaginesforrandompeople]

Jealous | Sweet pea imagine

Request: you write an imagine were Sweet Pea gets jealous cause another guy was flirting with you at the Wyte Wyrm. So he starts be really possessive of you. Smut if you want.

A/N: I decided to not make this a smutty one, however if you do want sweet pea smut I have some other imagines on my page! I also didn’t know from the imagine if the reader and sweet pea were already together, hope you enjoy!

It was saturday night. You and your friends went to the Whyte Wyrm every saturday night, even to just support Toni who was working behind the bar. The music was blasting, drinks were flowing and it was just as busy as usual. 

Sweet pea was playing pool with Fangs, he was going on about Kevin and about how they were going through something, Sweet pea was barely listening anyway. Y/N had just walked in, he knew she liked to come there on saturdays which is why he usually was there on saturdays as well. They weren’t really together but they were more than friends, at least that’s what he liked to think so. She looked amazing as always. ‘’Are you even listening?’’ Fangs managed to get him out of his head ‘’For fucks sake, I was asking for advice!’’ Fangs shook his head ‘’Sorry dude, what do you need my help with?’’

The first place you checked when you walked in was the pool table where, as you had hoped, was Sweet pea playing pool with Fangs. He wasn’t exactly your boyfriend but you wished he was, you were way too scared to ask him out and he hadn’t asked you yet either so you were in an in-between friends and a relationship. 

Instead of going over there, you decided to say hi to Toni behind the bar. ‘’Sup Toni’’ the pink haired girl smiled ‘’Just working, what about you?’’ She looked at the pool table where Sweet pea was not so subtlly checking the two of you out. ‘’Nothing much, just the usual’’ Toni grinned. Her best friends had been circling around each other for months now and she thought it was funny how neither of them made the first move eventhough they were so obviously into each other. ‘’Want a drink?’’ You looked over in surprise, that was not Toni who asked you that, you didn’t recognize the voice.

A guy sat down next to you ‘’Hey I’m Jeremy, hope I’m not bothering you’’ You shook your head, he seemed like a nice guy. He bought you a drink and the two of you started talking much to the dismay of Sweet pea who had been closely following the interaction ever since Jeremy sat down next to you. Sweet pea knew the guy, he was actually decent but at this moment he was his number one enemy. He had technically no leg to stand on but boy was he jealous, it took everything to not punch the guy in the face. Fangs was still going on ‘’I’m sorry fangs, I need a minute’’ Fangs looked at the bar and rolled his eyes ‘’God just please tell her already, this is just frustrating at this point’’

Sweet pea sauntered to the bar ‘’hey Y/N how fun to see you here!’’ Toni tried to hold her laugh as she poured Sweet pea his usual drink, Sweet pea had the biggest fake smile on his face as he mainly looked at Jeremy. ‘’You two know each other?’’ Jeremy asked surprised. You nodded and before you could answer Sweet pea had already draped his arm around you ‘’We definitely know each other, if you know what I mean’’ You turned to the tall serpent with a look of surprise on your face and lighlty stomped him. ‘’He’s being ridicilous, yes Sweet pea and I know each other, we’re in the same circle’’

He tightened his grip on you and downed his drink. Jeremy looked a little intimitated and surprised by the sudden posessiveness of Sweet pea. ‘’You know I’ll go find my friends, I’ll see you later y/n’’ He smiled and turned away. ‘’What the fuck was that about?’’ was the first thing you asked the dark haired guy next to you. ‘’Nothing, I don’t know what you’re talking about’’ He said while shrugging. You broke free from his iron grip ‘’So you wouldn’t mind if I were to go find him and dance with him?’’ ‘’Wha- no I would-’’ Sweet pea stammered when you interrupted him by yelling out ‘’Jer-’’ Sweet pea turned you to him ‘’Don’t’’ 

You gulped, you had never been this close to him before, you felt the atmosphere change as the two of you just looked at each other before he crashed his lips onto yours. You were caught of guard but quickly kissed him back. It was everything you had wanted and more, you pulled him closer as he wrapped his arms around you, you almost forgot you were in the Whyte Wyrm when Toni cleared her throat. You pulled away from him and blushed, a little embarrassed that you just had a full on make out session in the Whyte Wyrm, 

‘‘I had been wanting to do that for a while’‘ Sweet pea admitted with a grin on his face. ‘‘Me too’‘ you replied, same grin on your face. ‘‘I know I should’ve asked you this way sooner, but would you like to go out with me?’‘ You grinned ‘‘Obviously dumb ass’‘ He laughed and wrapped his arm against you again, you leaned into him. It all worked out in the end.

[girlafraidinacoma]

In The Lap of the Gods: Chapter Six - Fanta-seas and Denial

Summary: What do you get when you mix a tight-knit art community, young, hot-blooded twenty-something university students and good old-fashioned British Rock & Roll? Probably the next best hope for art and music that generation has to offer. With her friends’ band skyrocketing to fame, what exactly does a girl do when she suddenly finds herself sitting in the lap of the gods? The answer: do the only thing she can do, rise to the occasion of course!

Pairing: Gwilym Lee!Brian May x Original Female Character

Author’s Note: Sorry, not sorry for the incredibly late update dudes. Was super uninspired for months, had a break down, got over it, bon appetit.

( gif credit goes to @queenmercurys.)

Kind of AU, contains both elements from real life and the Bo Rhap universe, so imagine whoever you prefer whether they be the real thing or the Bo Rhap Boys–be free.

[Link to Ao3 fic!]

Chapter Playlist:

Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell

Astral Weeks - Van Morrison

Chapter Six - Fanta-seas and Denial

Ealing, December 1969.

“You’re incorrigible. I’ll never finish at this rate!” Wyn cried, throwing her arms up.

“Nobody told you to leave it until the last minute to work on your project.” He grumbled. It seemed like only yesterday that she began her first day at the Ealing Technical College and School of Art, but December had finally crept in, summoning the looming toll of due dates and unfinished critical projects.

“I honestly didn’t mean to forget, I thought I’d still have a week, not three bloody days.” Wyn whimpered a little pathetically, feeling the mounting panic bubble inside at the thought of not submitting her work on time. Currently, they were seated on the floor at the centre of Wyn’s dorm room, the space her easel usually occupied, cutting out various images and words out of several dozen stacks of magazines, newspapers, catalogues and a charitable helping of Woman’s Weekly – courtesy of Jer Bulsara.

Wyn’s dorm was a site Freddie had quickly grown accustomed to during their past few months of friendship. He liked her place. Sure, there were several others that lived on her floor and there’s only the bare modicum of privacy, but it was a decently sized space for a dorm, generous even, were it not cramped with half-finished canvases and art materials at various stages of use. Despite this fact, Wyn had tried her very best to make it up as nice as she could without having to open a Better Homes magazine. It was a place of barely organized but brightly coloured chaos.

The room itself was divided into two halves, one half where she slept and lounged, and the other half reserved for her work. The narrow bed which she slept in had been pushed up flush against the far corner of the room for the spatial economy. There was an olive-green loveseat with faded upholstery situated opposite the bed, and next to it was her bookshelf (definitely someone’s previously discarded woodworking project), keeping her collection of vinyls, novels and art journals. The side of Wyn’s room that served as her work area had a very large window that provided her place with natural light from about six or seven in the morning to four in the afternoon. Beside the window was a small desk, perpetually cluttered with paper, and a heavy wooden trunk packed to the brim with art supplies. One would think she’d been living there forever with all the stuff she’d accumulated in the past four months; the result of which was an assemblage of mismatched furniture that on its own were rather forgettable or borderline hideous, but somehow miraculously worked together, grudgingly made ‘cool’ by the person inhabiting it.

“Now who’s incorrigible?” As much as Freddie teased, it only took about five minutes of begging and a promise to cover one of his shifts at the Kensington stall for Freddie to generously acquiesce his time to help her out with one of her class assessments, to her supreme relief.

“Besides, they only want proof of concept. The whole thing’s not due until the end of Christmas hols.” Wyn said, flipping to the next page.

“Sure, sure.” The man rolled his eyes, waving a large pair of shears around. “What’s the focus for this piece anyway?”

“Oh, you know, just a bit of social commentary about defining identity through materialism and the like.” She told him, picking up a scrap he’d just finished cutting out, “These little bits here, will eventually be put together and build up a face or whatever, then I think I’d slather some paint on it, use some charcoal and call it a day, probably.”

“Is it still Granger and Warton assessing?”

“Warton is on leave, taking the airs in Bournemouth. Connelly is subbing in.”

“Even better, Connelly likes anything that’s remotely opinionated. He’ll be eating this all up with his Sunday roast.” He laughed. It gave her that smidge more comfort to hear his approval and she told him just as much.

She and Freddie were both dutifully attending to their work when out of the blue, Freddie sniffs the air, saying: “Have I told you how much your room smells?”

“Oops,” The girl said sheepishly, “Sorry. Let me just open a window. Afraid I’ve gotten quite used to it.” Briefly, she pattered away from him to do just that, lighting a rosemary and orange-scented candle, a gift from an aunt who had taken up chandlery upon retirement.

“Yes, the smell of varnish does tend to make the uninitiated rather queasy.” He nodded. “Lucky for you, I know the smell intimately. Unlucky for you, it still makes me queasy. Unless… you’ve become a junkie, in which case there are better highs than paint fumes, my dear.” A hand rose to Freddie’s chest, playfully aghast.

Wyn shook her head with a laugh. “I don’t even realise sometimes, too stuck in my work.”

“Still, you should always remember to take care of yourself. What good is your art if you’re not there to appreciate it? I’d rather have you, than a painting.”

Wyn dropped the page she was holding and looked at him. “Always so sweet. Where would I be without you, my dearest Freddie?”

“Probably still glued to a wall in that function room with the horrible punch.” Fred snarked, letting out an inelegant snort in the magazine his face was buried in.

So far, they were amassing a pretty sizeable pile of clippings and Wyn wordlessly congratulated herself and Freddie for making progress, but the good feeling didn’t last long. The two had been quiet for a while, with only the sound of snipping and paper tearing to fill the silence when reluctantly Fred releases the lip he had been gnawing on for a solid two minutes and clears his throat. “I’ve got something to tell you,” He says, putting down the pair of scissors he was using. “Actually, I could use your opinion.”

Still focused on an area she was clipping, Wyn nodded. “Spill, it’s not like we’re going anywhere soon.”

He exhaled deeply and gave what could be likened to a formal announcement. “I’m thinking of seeing Mary. Scratch that, I’ve seen Mary and had a cup of coffee with her, and I’ve been thinking about doing that more.”

There was sudden a hush that came about the room and settled in like a third guest. It took her several moments to process and Wyn gently reminded herself to lower her pair of scissors, lest she accidentally hurt a friend. “Wait, Mary, as in 'the coat's BIBA', Mary? As in Brian’s Mary? That Mary?” She gauged him with a puzzled look.

“As in Brian’s ex-girlfriend, Mary Austin, Yes.” Freddie confirmed, not blinking.

“So, you want to go see Brian’s ex, that is what you’re saying?”

“Ex, being the operative word, but yes.”

“You don’t think that’ll put a wrench into things?” She asked with a furrowed brow. “Smile hasn’t even begun performing again yet with you as the lead. Do you understand where I’m coming from, how precarious your situation is?”

“I don’t know,” It was his turn to shrug, eyes large and expressive. “I think she’s sweet and gorgeous and she doesn’t mind my teeth. Wait, where did you hear about Brian and Mary anyway?”

Wyn shrugged, “Roger told me.”

“That gossiping cow.” Freddie scowled.

“Well, no, we were just talking and the subject came up,” Wyn said levelly, grabbing a new catalogue from the stack.

“Oh, it came up naturally, did it?” He asked, picking up his scissors and cutting the page he was on a tad aggressively. “Not that you were asking after a certain boy with a guitar, needling poor Roger until he revealed whether said boy was single or not?”

“No,” She denies, “Roger and I were just talking about that night at the bar, and he just happened to mention that until recently Brian had been seeing Mary and hinted that maybe Brian was still interested in seeing her.”

Freddie had narrowed his eyes. “And Roger told you that, did he? Are you sure this isn’t about you and Roger?”

Her head quirked. “Why would this be about me and Roger?”

Freddie laughed. “Maybe because Roger thinks you’re fit and he’s trying to eliminate the competition by hinting that one of his friends might be keen to reconnect with an ex so that you won’t consider that friend as a potential romantic partner?”

“Or, you’re spinning this intricate web because you’re in denial that Mary wants to be with Brian and continuing to see her might ruin your chances with the band?” She offered sweetly.

“Or, this is about you and Roger.” Wyn had to roll her eyes at that.

“This is so not about Roger.”

“Brian, then.”

“It’s not like that.” She shakes her head, eyes trailing to the ground.

Freddie was not convinced, “I saw you and Brian looking cozy together. In that booth, on the way home, going for a little shopping trip…”

“We went shopping to feed you!”

“It’s probably what set off Rog in the first place.” He said in sing-song.

“N-no, the man doesn’t even flirt with me--” She was growing exasperated quickly.

“So, you admit that you flirt with Roger all the time.” Freddie was a dog with a bone.

“That’s just the way we talk to each other! He just thinks it’s a bit of fun, and I’m not about to let him think he can get a rise out of me.” Freddie could have sworn her voice rose an octave.

"I think you have a crush on him."

"I do not have a crush on Brian."

"Who said anything about Brian?" Freddie cracked a devilish grin at having caught her out. He batted his eyes at her.

The girl, on the other hand, was at a loss for words, opening her mouth and closing it again a couple of times, before scoffing. “Oh, shut up. You haven’t proven anything. Go see Mary then if you’ve already made up your mind.” She resigned, covering her discomfort with a laugh. Wyn looked down and busied herself by neatening the growing pile of magazine and newspaper trimmings she was collecting, forcing her hair to fall and obscuring her face. She absolutely was not going to let her friend see the burning flush she was newly sporting.

Fred chuckled beside her, examining his manicured hand. "I honestly wonder what fantasy world you're living in, darling. You're so caught up in it."

Instead of answering him directly she chose to switch to diversionary tactics. "You say that like it's a bad thing, or like you're not right there with me. You're just as mad as me." She poked his cheek.

"True, darling." He conceded, "I definitely see the appeal; I mean who wouldn’t want to escape this old tedious business for one in a fantasy book?” Freddie sighed dreamily, “I say, human ingenuity peaked when we learned we could just imagine ourselves far away from here.”

The girl hummed, gladdened to finally be talking about something else again. “Where everything is weird and wonderful, and you finally belong…”

“You can be anyone you want to be.”

“And bugger the rules because there are none.” She supplied without missing a beat.

“Get out of my head, Wyn Clemens.” He chided her. “You know, this reminds me of when Kashmira and I used to spend all our time in the afternoons together lying on a dusty floor, making up crazy stories.”

A fond smile came over Wyn’s face. “Oh? What about?”

“Well, tis a tale of a long and arduous quest to save the magical Kingdom of Rhye,” He said indulgently, “Your usual fight between the forces of good and evil, brave knights, lavish castles, rival queens, and a sprinkling of anthropomorphic animals.”

“Ah, but of course! I wouldn’t expect anything less.” She leaned back and drew her legs under her chin. “Pray tell then, merry minstrel, regale me with the story of Rhye.”

Freddie sat a little more upright in his spot, his teeth showing in a big smile. “Alright, so, it all began when the White Queen was abducted from her castle. Now in hopes to rescue her, her brother, the handsome Prince, scours all the land gathering knights…”

Wyn had already forgotten they had been arguing not two minutes ago. It was like that with her and Freddie, they never could stay cross with one another for long, always managing to read what the other was thinking. It was shocking how close the two had gotten in such a short span of time. Suddenly the prospect of Freddie graduating brought a sinking feeling to Wyn’s chest. She silently hoped he’d still have time for her, or would deign to remain her friend. The future always seemed so unsteady. Standing on its precipice, Wyn supposed that if she’d have to drink some horrible punch at some mediocre party, she’d rather be suffering through it with him than without him.

[jolienjoyswriting]

Times Remembered, Times Forgotten

"Times Remembered, Times Forgotten," an Essence of Ragnarok story.

A surprise visit from a newer friend becomes an meeting of open honesty.

Word count: 3,652 – Character count: 22,254 Drafted: January 5th, 2021 (9 pages) –

Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve written one’a these EoR stories, hey?  And, yeah, it’s more romantic prattle because that’s what I do.  But, hey!  It’s adds to the sub-plot of these characters! It’s also fills a potential plot hole the last story made, ha ha hah…

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    "Here."     "Jessie?  What– oh!  Hello…"     It was the middle of the day when Jessica arrived at Joseph's house in the woods.  She hadn't announced her arrival, nor had she even hinted that she'd be over.  More than that… she brought an equally-unexpected guest along.

    Just as soon as she was handed off, the timid, white vixen by the name of Diana scurried over and hid behind Joseph.  The male fox glanced at the frightened vixen, then he turned his attention back to Jessica, staring at her in confusion.     "What's going on, Jessie?" he asked.     "Artie asked me t' watch 'er whilst 'e was off visitin' family 'r somethin'," was the bat girl's response.  "Didn't wanna.  She don' like me 'n I don' like her.  She likes you, though, so–"     "Wait– hang on–"     "– you get t' watch 'er!" the girl finished with a grin.  "Have fun!  I got shit t' do!"     "No, wait!  Jessie!"     Joseph blanched, staring with his mouth hanging open.  He'd barely had time to argue as he watched his girlfriend drive away on her motorcycle, leaving Diana entirely in his care.

    "But…"     He scowled, silently cursing Jessica as she zoomed out of sight.  He then sighed, looking behind himself and staring at the girl who was staring up at him with shiny, purple eyes.     "Aren't you old enough to take care of yourself?" he asked.     She quickly shook her head, hugging onto his middle.     "Lonely…" she whispered, among other unheard things, before shivering.     "You don't like being alone?"     When she nodded, Joseph just sighed again.  Then, as he reached down and pet the girl, she straightened up and happily nuzzled into his back.     "Alright, I guess I'll keep you company…  I could use some, myself."     She brightly smiled upon hearing that.  The two then retreated inside the house together.

    "So, uh… what do you want to do?" he asked the young woman.     She perked, staring at him.  She'd fallen back to hug his tail like a cherished plush toy.  It didn't seem like she had an answer… or maybe she just didn't understand the question.     "Also…"  He smiled.  "I like the new clothes."     At that, Diana pouted and looked down, her black-tipped ears folding.     "Made me…" she quietly huffed.     Joseph blinked.  "Jessie made you wear a pink hoodie and blue jeans?"     The girl nodded.     "Well… if it helps, I think you look cute!"     She squirmed, hiding behind his tail a little more.  He was pretty sure he'd gotten a giggle out of her, which made him smile.

    "You hungry, D?" was the next thing Joseph asked his guest.  When she softly shook her head, he then asked, "Thirsty?"     Again, she shook her head.  The fox hummed, thinking…     "Well… I guess that just leaves entertainment…  So, I ask again: what should we do?"     She stayed quiet, shyly looking down.     "Isn't there something you wanna do, Diana?"     The girl squeaked as he pressed the issue. Then…     "D?"     She scooted around to his front and cuddled up to him all the more, resting her head under his chin and closing her eyes.     "You… just wanna cuddle, huh?"     "Yes," she murmured, firmly squeezing him.  "Please."     He smiled, wagging his tail.  "Well, since you asked so nicely…"     With that settled, the fox led the vixen into the living room.

    The next hour or so was filled with Joseph playing a video game while the young woman watched.  As he played his game, Joseph noticed that Diana was being very affectionate.  He offered to let her play several times throughout his play session, but the only thing she seemed interested in was snuggling against his side, or resting her head in his lap, or laying down and hugging onto his waist – all while being careful not to get in his way.  This wasn't exactly unwelcome…  Just somewhat unexpected.     She acted like this after our first encounter, too… he thought with a chuckle.  She's such a sweet, innocent thing…

    Once Joseph got to a good stopping point, he paused and looked down at the vixen who was rubbing her face against his belly.     "So… how long you gonna keep being cuddly?" he asked with a grin.     Diana froze at the question.  When she looked up at him with fearful eyes…     "H-hey, I don't mind!"     Joseph was quick to reassure her.     "It's just… isn't there anything else you wanna do?  Like… anything at all?  Take a walk?  Watch TV?  Um… use the bathroom?     He watched the girl turn over on the couch cushions, resting her head on his legs and looking up at the ceiling.  After a couple of seconds of fidgeting with her fingers, he noticed a tinge of pink form under her fluffy cheeks.  He was about to say something when…     "Ah?"     Diana sat up and smooched his cheek.  She was quick to hide behind his tail, after.

    "You're… really friendly, today," Joseph said with a smirk.     The girl shrank down… only to sit back up and peek at him as he ruffled her hair.     "Guess you missed me, huh?"     Her eyes lit up and her tail wagged.  She quickly nodded.     "Alright… alright," he chuckled.  "I think I know what you really want…"

    Diana perked from her seat at the corner of the couch.  Joseph had gotten up and walked over to his entertainment center.  She curiously watched as he turned off the game console, then turned off the television.  When he turned back her way, she flinched and hid behind a throw pillow.  She wasn't fooling anyone, though…  He could see her tail thumping against the couch as it wagged with excitement.  She definitely had her hopes up high.

"C'mere, you!"     The young woman loudly squeaked as she found herself taken captive by Joseph!  He'd practically pinned her against the back of the wide armchair before snuggling into her and assaulting her cheeks and muzzle with affectionate nuzzles.  She murmured and hummed, squirmed and wiggled, and made quite a lot of happy noises, basking in the attention before she finally started giving as well as she was getting.

    Before long, Joseph had Diana on her back, pinned against the couch cushions.  His hands held hers and his nose rested against her own as his golden eyes fondly peered into her purple ones.  They both shared a faint blush, though neither of them showed any signs of discomfort.  On the contrary!  After their hearty exchange of fondness, they'd both paused to admire one another, both thinking the fondest thoughts as one hovered over the other

    "Hey, um… Diana?"     Diana blinked a couple of times… but rather than acknowledge her friend's words, she chittered and shyly brushed her lips across his.  She hadn't quite kissed him… but it was enough to get her point across.  And, as it just so happened…     "Mmm…"     That's pretty much the direction Joseph wanted to take things, anyway.

    Diana wasn't the least bit shy about kissing back as Joseph pressed his lips to hers.  She revelled in the warm feelings that came with kissing, squeezing the fox's hands tight within hers and happily banging her tail against the front of the sofa.  Joseph, meanwhile, found himself falling under the emotional spell of the adorable vixen, breathing deeply through his nose as his lips touched hers again-and-again.  There was something simply intoxicating about being with her, like that… something he couldn't define.

    "Love me…"

    Joseph blinked several times in succession, his ears flicking.  He drew back just enough to look at Diana… only to feel his breath get caught in his throat.  He'd picked up on that pair of soft, sweet words amidst the make-outs, and when he looked… he noticed her fondly peering right into his eyes, her own begging… pleading… for something unspoken… or, perhaps, spoken outright.  And just like that… an overwhelming desire washed over him.

    He wanted… needed… to love that girl.  Just like she wanted. –

    "I'm sorry I didn't come back…"

    Once the duo had finally gotten all the pent-up affection out of their systems, they took a quick shower, then started drying off right after.  As Diana took Joseph's brush to her hair, she heard him speak from behind her.

    "It's okay…"     There was a slight melancholy to her voice… which was accented by jer folded ears and drooping tail.     "I meant to.  Really, I did!" Joseph said as he sat on the nearby toilet, hanging his head.  "It's just… I've had a lot of other things on my mind.  Well, no, no…  Just… one thing, really."     He could practically see the question marks appear over Diana's head as she turned to face him.  She was very curious about what that "one thing" was.  However…     "Don't worry about it."     He didn't seem eager to share.     "Tell?" she softly pleaded while continuing to brush her shoulder-length hair.     "It's… I…"  The fox bit his lower lip.  "No."     "Tell…?" she repeated, pushing a little harder.     He looked up, inadvertently looking right into her pretty, purple eyes.  His ears flicked and he felt a little breathless, for a second.  He had to look away, but it was too late.  She'd put him into another trance, and she didn't even realize it.

    "I lost the love of my life, last year," he began in monotone.  "She was taken from me because she was an illegal, unregistered AI housed in a stolen android body.  We legitimately had no idea – it had never come up."     Diana went wide-eyed.  "Loved… robot…?"     "Hope was my heart and my soul.  Hope was my day and my night."     The girl walked over to her friend, ears folded and mouth curled into a worried frown. She suddenly realized why he didn't want to talk about it and felt bad that she'd pushed the issue.  Just talking about it was enough to make him cry!  She slowly kneeled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he wept and went on.

    "Hope was so much more than a robot," he said, his voice slowly regaining its usual tone.  "She was a friend to all… a friend and lover to me and… and to Jessie…  We… we loved her more than anyone, ever!  Especially Jessie…"     The fox sniffled, pulling Diana closer and rubbing his wet face into her cheek.     "She… she pretends everything's okay, but I know that deep down, she hates how things happened… hates the fact that the courts found in favor of that… that… asshole… and hates the fact that Hope… dear, sweet, brave Hope… was okay with being erased."     He shuddered a little, then he growled.     "S-sometimes… I think I hate Hope for how she handled things…  But, I understand why she pretended everything was okay, that night."     He slid out of Diana's embrace, standing and rubbing his eyes.     "She wanted… wanted us to have one last, perfect night together.  A-and, we did!  I'll never forget it.  And… heh… I-I'll never forget… the… next… morning…!!"

    He'd tried to keep it together… tried to keep from breaking down… but thinking about everything that had happened… how it all happened… just made him angry, and sad, and horribly… horribly… upset.  It came as no surprise to Diana when, after holding it in for so long, Joseph finally fell to his knees and openly sobbed right there, in the master bathroom.     She felt absolutely… overwhelmingly… awful for making him feel that way.

    "Go," she said in a voice that was just loud enough for him to hear over his crying.     "Wh… wha'?"     "Should go," she repeated, speedily walking out of the bathroom.     "W-wait, where are you going?"     "Away!"     The fox blinked his glassy, wet eyes… then he scrambled to his feet.     "Diana, wait!  Come back!"

    The snow-white vixen strode through the house in a hurry.  She needed to leave… needed to get away from Joseph!  She'd made him so happy… only to take it all away by asking too many questions.  She didn't deserve to be there with him.  She had to go.  She didn't even care where and didn't care that she'd left her clothes behind, either.  She even intended to ditch the towel curled around her body at his door before running into the woods, never to darken his world ever again.  Too bad for her…     "Diana!!"     Joseph wasn't about to let that happen.

    "Let go!" she hissed, trying to pull her wrist out of his grasp.     "No!"     "Let!  Go!"     "No, no, no…!" he protested.  "I'm not letting you leave!"     "Hate me!"     The fox blinked.  "What?"     "Hate me!!" she shrieked.     Joseph still wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a question… or a demand.  Whatever the case, he wasn't going to heed it.

    "I love you!" he told her, looking right into her eyes.  "Why would I ever–"     "Cry…!" she yelled.  "Sad…!  Hurt…  Bad friend…!  Die…"     "Wh-what?  No, I–"     "Died, once…  Wish… stayed dead."     He sharply blinked.  "Wh… what?"     Diana practically threw his hand away, freeing herself.  However, she didn't turn away from him, much less reach for the doorknob.  Instead, she hugged herself and looked at the tiles of the entryway, ears down and tail low.

    "Died," the young woman whispered.  "Count… brought back."     "Count Moretti brought you back from the dead?"     When she nodded, Joseph tilted his head.     "Isn't that a good thing?" he asked.     "Bad life.  Bad lives…"     She had practically spat as she corrected herself.  She then accepted Joseph's hand as he offered it.  The two slowly walked back into the living, together.

    "Story… sad," Diana warned as they sat together on the couch.  "Yours… sadder.  Sorry… asked.  Least… share mine."     "Y-you don't have to if you don't–"     "Want to."  The girl looked up with a sad sort of smile.  "Deserve…"     Joseph softly nodded… then he sat back and listened.

    "Long ago… lived somewhere…  Across the ocean."  She paused.  "Can't remember.  Doesn't matter."     She crossed one leg over the other, placing her hands in her lap.  Joseph couldn't help but notice the way wrung her hand as she looked anywhere but his way.     "My family… bad," she continued.  "Mom… mean.  Sisters… evil.  Dad…"     She paused, again.     "Miss…"     The girl sighed.     "Poor family.  Youngest.  Hand… downs.  Last to… meals.  They abused… blamed me… everything.  I ran…"     "You ran away from home?"     "Tried."  She offered another little smile.  "Died."     "You…"  Joseph swallowed.  "You died while running away from home?"     "Funny…"  She chuckled a little.  "Runaway… cart."     "What?"     She held up one hand, dangling two fingers down.  As she made that hand "walk" on air, she made a fist with the other.  Then, she made a "zoom" noise, followed by a particularly nasty "splat" noise, as the fist collided with – or rather, "ran over" – the "walking" hand.  That painted… a rather vivid picture in Joseph's mind.

    "You… got run over by an out-of-control cart?" he guessed.     "Flower cart," Diana added with a nod and a giggle.  "Isn't… funny?"     Joseph frowned.  "Th-that's not funny…  That's horrible!"     "Funny… now."     The girl smiled, then she sighed.     "Died.  Long time…  Woke up… somewhere…  Stood.  Fell.  Looked.  Had… boobies."     Now, that particular statement… baffled Joseph.     "Wh… what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.     "Boobies!"     He blushed as she tugged down her towel, casually showing them off.     "Y-y-yes, those are very nice," he awkwardly said, "but–"

    "Ten."     "What?"     "Ten," she repeated.     Joseph perked.  "Ten boobies?!"     The girl gave another, more exasperated sort of sigh.     "Died… ten year…" she tried to clarify.  "When… woke up… boobies."     "I… still don't get it."     "I'm ten," Diana finally told him.  "Was when… died."     "You're ten?"     Joseph paused… then a look of shock appeared on his face.     "Whoa-whoa-whoa, wait a minute!!" he cried, jerking away from Diana.  "Y-you're ten years old…?!"     She giggled.  "Three-hundred… ten."     He calmed a little.  "You're… three-hundred-and-ten years old?" he repeated.     "Died… ten," she repeated.  "Woke up… had boobies.  Lost… childhood.  Literally!"     "Oh.  Oh, Trinity Above…"     "Mr. Joseph…?"     Diana frowned, leaning toward her friend.     "You oka–"     "I… I had sex with a ten-year-old girl…" he said, his mouth feeling very dry, suddenly.     "Three-hundred-ten," she corrected.     "Y-yeah, but… you…"  He bit his lip.  "Count Moretti revived you… and aged you up?"     The girl softly nodded.     "Then… then yes, I had sex with a ten-year-old girl.  I'm… I'm a criminal."     Diana frowned at that.  She didn't agree with that assessment, at all.     "I mean, okay," he continued, "I had sex with a ten-year-old girl in a full-grown adult body, sure, but–"     "Being… stupid."     "What?"     The fox blinked, his ears flicking as Diana sat there, looking at him with her arms crossed and a disapproving scowl on her face.

    "Brought back… ten-year-old," she started.  "He gave… adult body, but… still… little girl.  Then, Count… taught me… be adult."     He went wide-eyed.  "Oh, Trinity Ab–!"     "With books," she added, cutting him off.     He blinked again.  "H-how is that any be–"     "Homeschooled," she finally clarified, giving him a look.  "Count taught… primary school.  1-to-12.  Maths, Language, other– um... problem?"     There was a long, awkward pause as Joseph pieced together what was just said.  Then…     "I… I-I'm sorry."  He nervously chuckled.  "Wh-when you said he 'taught you,' I thought you meant he taught you how to…  Uh… n-never mind what I thought.  G-go on?"     Diana tilted her head… but she nodded and did just that.

    "Count taught… with books," she repeated.  "Primary school.  All years.  Treated me like… daughter.  Like… dad…"     She paused.     "Um…  When I… eighteen, he showed… library.  Said… read anything.  Learned lots…"     The girl briefly looked down, her face flushing red.     "I learned… babies come from…!" she giggled.  "Wanted… know more.  N-never… in three-hundred…  N-not until…"     She blushed a little harder, shyly smiling at the other fox… who was also blushing.     "You!"     "W-wait.  You're saying that I was your… first?"     "Count never let… leave… manor," she sighed.  "Never… boys home.  Only girls.  Sometimes… boys.  They… undead minions.  Always wanted… romance.  Wanted to… mother?  Read plenty…  Mr. Joseph… first to romance…"     She continued to blush as she scooted closer.     "Thank you."     She then pecked him on the cheek with a playful giggle, much to his bewilderment.

    "Hope… one-and-only?" she suddenly asked, leaning back.  Before he could answer, though, she told him, "It's okay.  I understand."     "Wha'...?"     Joseph scratched his head, staring at the vixen as she softly smiled at him.     "Broken hearts don't… easy.  It… time.  Understand… now.  But, Mr. Joseph?"     He blinked a little more as she took his hands into hers and squeezed.     "Are… still friends?" she asked in that innocent tone of hers.     "Wh… yeah, of course, we're friends!" he replied, still confused.     "That makes… happy."     She slid her fingers between his, squeezing his hands tighter.     "You're… special friend," she whispered, softly blushing and looking into his eyes.  "Special… me."     "You're special to me, too, Diana!" the fox laughed.  "And… and, hey."     "Mm?"     "I'm… sorry."     Diana thought about that statement for a second before answering.     "No need… apologize," she whispered.  "Glad… friends.  We'll… friends forever-and-ever!  Just… no more kisses or…"     She trailed off, her face warming and her smile becoming nervous.  What she was trying to say could not have been clearer.  However…     "Why not?" Joseph shyly asked.     The question completely disarmed the girl, leaving her to stare.     "Why not?" she repeated.     "Yeah!" he laughed.  "Why not?"     Though he was smiling… she was scowling.     "Disrespectful," she said, pulling her hands back to cross her arms.     The fox opened his mouth to say something… but he knew she was right.  Before he could fall into depression, though, Diana continued.

    "You said… loved by you and Ms. Jessica?"     "What?"     "You… Hope… Ms. Jessica…"  She paused to think.  "Paw-lee-arr-more-ree?"     Joseph blinked.  "What…?" he asked, again.     "'Poly-armory!'" she repeated.  "When two… more love each other.  Poly-armory."     "Polyamory," the fox corrected, "and yes.  We had a… polyamorous relationship."     "Open relationship?" she pressed, suddenly.     Joseph looked down, folding his ears.  "Not… not exactly…" he admitted.     "Disrespect… Hope," Diana firmly said.  "Didn't know.  Now… do, so… won't."     She offered a soft, patient smile.     "Besides…  Traditional."  She giggled a little.  "Want you all… myself.  In return… give you… me.  I'd hoped… thought… one true love…  But, real-life isn't… faerie tales."     Joseph noticed how sad she looked after saying that.  He was about to say something, but just as he opened his mouth, Diana reached over and cupped his cheek with one hand.

    "Don't… sad," she happily whispered.  "And, don't regret… did!  I'll love, again.  I'm only three-hundred-ten!  Mr. Right… out there, somewhere!  But… then…"     She shimmied much closer before leaning against the fox's frame and closing her eyes.     "Can always… back on friends…"     She then looked up at him with a grin.     "Cuddling… okay!  Just, no kissing… lips!  Only on cheek… head… the nose!  Okay?"     He smirked a little.  "You sure you want to…?"     She gave a blink… then she grinned even more.     "Yes!" she exclaimed with a laugh, snuggling even tighter against him.  "You… the best cuddles!  Don't hold… on me!  I neeeed… cuddles!"     Joseph laughed as well.  Then…     "I'm sorry for… you know…"     "I'll… over it," she giggled.  "Besides… not like… stop being friends."     She paused to sigh.     "Never… loving you.  As… friend."     "I'll never stop loving you as a friend, either, Diana…"     "Then, don't regret…  Be happy."     "Okay," he softly whispered.  "I will."     "That's… spirit, Mr. Joseph…"

    The two spent several moments in silence, after that, just holding each other and thinking about things.  It was odd to think that their romantic relationship, such as it was, had come to a close only after two flings… but, perhaps, it was for the best.     I can't give her what she wants… he thought as the two cuddled.  I can't be her 'prince'.  All I can do is be her friend… for as long as she'll have me.     He smiled to himself… before he remembered something.  Diana was going to be staying over for a while… and she had a habit of accidentally hypnotizing him.  So, what would happen if she did it again… after deciding that they should just be friends?

    This… could get very awkward…

[i-used-to-wear-the-fedora]

BMC Jeremy is Missing AU [Rewrite] In Depth

Ch.12 A Good Samaritan

“Hey d-Mr.Heere!” Both Jeremy’s dad and the man he was talking to turned to see Jeremy using Michael’s body to walk over towards the two.

“Michael? What are you doing in here? Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Oh you know-lunch break and stuff. But ugh I heard something about you needed money?”

“Actually it’s Dr.Graham over here who needs the money. I’d give him some but I barely have enough for groceries.”

“M-maybe I could give you the money!”

“I couldn’t-”

“P-please for any friend of my da…Mr.Heere.” Jeremy felt slightly guilty as he reached into Michael’s pocket and pulled out the money. But it was for a good reason. “Here.” The man smiled as he took the money from Michael’s hand.

“Thank you….”

“Jer…Michael. Michael Mell.”

“Thanks Michael. You know you remind me of my son Craig, he’s around your age. If you need anything just let me know.”

“Really, it’s okay. Just being a good samaritan and stuff.” The doctor smiled waving goodbye to Mr.Heere before walking away leaving Jeremy and his father alone.

“Michael, that was very nice of you.”

“Thanks…Mr.Heere. It seemed like the right thing to do. So, you’re grocery shopping?” Jeremy asked seeing his dad’s small list.

“Yeah, Jeremy’s birthday’s coming up in a few days…gotta make sure I don’t burn it this year. Wouldn’t want a repeat of last year.” Jeremy remembered his birthday last year, he and Michael took a bite and instantly spit it out to find that under the three layers of frosting was a cake burned to the point of blackness. He couldn’t stop a laugh from coming out as he remembered that.

“Oh my God, I remember that. It tasted so bad so we just split up the frosting and put it on top of our ice cream.”

“I-I remember,” Mr.Heere as he chuckled leaning his kart. “I still have pictures of the two of you right after with food all over your faces.”

“Hey, I was hungry.”

“You looked just like when you were six on Halloween and you got into the sugar sticks. That was everywhere me and Jackie were cleaning it out of the right for weeks.” Jeremy stopped when he said Jackie. His mom. Did his mom come to his funeral? Did she talk to Dad?

“How is…Jeremy’s mom anyway?” Mr.Heere stopped laughing as he unknowingly looked at his son. “Sorry if that’s too personal.”

“No it’s alright son. Jackie’s being Jackie as usual. She still hasn’t talked to me since the funeral.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No it’s alright Michael, it’s not like you’re the reason she’s angry at me.” A beep went off on Mr.Heere’s phone making him look down at his phone before turning his kart around. “Sorry I got distracted, talk to you later Michael!” Jeremy waved goodbye as he watched his dad walk away.

“See you later…dad.” Jeremy smiled. He actually talked to his dad. Money now gone Jeremy walked over to exit. Munchies wouldn’t have tasted nearly as good as the feeling in his, or was it Michael’s?, stomach. He could give Michael his body back….but on the other hand lunch was still going on at school. Jeremy couldn’t believe he was actually excited for school food but it was better than nothing.

~~

“Hey Christine are you alright?” The girl looked up from her math book to see Jenna staring at her. “You look like you just ate a lemon. You thinking about something? …somebody?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Christine, you shouldn’t bottle this stuff up.”

“What’s there to bottle up? I mean it’s not like I’m friends with the girl who convinced me to make Jeremy run away in the first place.” Jenna back up as Christine snapped at her. “Sorry, I just don’t want to talk about it okay? This all so much take in at once.”

“Christine, we need to talk about this.”

“Later.”

“You’ve been saying later forever, we can’t keep ignoring Jeremy. Especially since it’s actually Jeremy now.”

“Ms.Rolan, Canigula, is there something you’d like to share with the rest of the class?” The teacher glared at the two girls who quickly quit talking as the woman went back to writing the equation on the white board. Christine not even looking over at Jenna anymore looked at her book hoping to not have to make eye contact.

~~

“Eugh…what happened?” Michael’s head hurt as he looked around, his vision still coming back. “Wha…?” Looking down he saw various stains on his shirt that looked like food making him even more confused. When did he eat? Wait…Jeremy. Jeremy took control of his body. Darting up he saw he was in his bedroom, on his bed. Jeremy was standing not too far away looking over some pictures on the wall. He noticed Michael awake as he jumped seeing his friend.

“Michael, you’re awake!”

“Jeremy what…happened? And why do I feel like I just ate my mom’s pancakes?” Grabbing his phone Michael saw it was seven at night. “Seven? Jeremy how long were you in my body?”

“Oh-er, well I…a few hours? I just intended on getting a few snacks at Walmart but then that kind of fell through and your mom wanted to make dinner plus you had a lot of Doritos and other stuff in your kitchen-”

“So you used my body to eat time of junk food?”

“Don’t worry-I didn’t way peanut butter or anything and I brushed your teeth!” To test that statement Michael ran his tongue around his mouth. It tasted like a combination of mint tooth paste, Doritos, Mountain Dew and Oreos. Not a pleasant combination.

“Eugh, Jeremy why?”

“I’m sorry Michael…I just wanted to taste food again.”

“But did you have to eat so much? I feel like I’ve gained two pounds.” Heading himself up Michael walked over to pick up the discarded cardigan. “I don’t think I can even bring myself to get a slushie tight now.” Michael reached into his pants pocket to pull out the money he intended to use to buy a said slushie but was surprised when he found nothing in the pocket.

“Hey where’s my money?” Jeremy looked guilty as Michael asked about the cash.

“I kind of…lent it to dad’s friend…” Michael made an annoyed face at this causing Jeremy to flinch.

“Is there anything else I should know about?”

“I’m sorry Michael.” Michael immediately faltered when he saw Jeremy’s face. Even as a ghost Jeremy seemed to look like he was about to cry.

“It’s alright dude, really. Just next time you give me a heads up before?” Jeremy nodded, the look know gone as he went to hug Michael but stopped when he realized the awkwardness that would bring. Jeremy really missed being able to hug Michael.

With Dustin:

Dustin stood in the salt circle around him in the darkened school bathroom as he placed the unlit candles around him before picking up the book he got in the library nervously looked it over.

‘I don’t know if I want the ghost to be real or not. I mean if its real and I do summon him I don’t think he’s going to like me…’ Taking a deep breath Dustin began to read.

“Oh sacred spirit come from afar, come now and prove that you are.” Nothing happened for a few seconds promoting Dustin to shut the book when a sudden breeze passed through the bathroom. The lights began to flash on and off as the stall doors swung scaring the teen when candles became lit followed by the feeling he was no longer alone in the restroom. Scared out of his mind Dustin called out, “Jeremy are here?”

His response was the the door to the bathroom slamming shut just as quickly as it opened making Dustin jump as the candles went out again leaving him in there darkness. Realizing the wet feeling in his pants Dustin was suddenly very glad he decided to do the ceremony in the men’s room.

Ch.13 Night of the Party

Michael stared down at the math assignment, internally groaning. God why did this face to be so difficult?

“The answer’s sixty nine over five.” Michael jumped slightly as Jeremy appeared next to his desk.

“Jesus!”

“Oops sorry dude.”

“You need a freaking bell around your neck.”

“Well I don’t think that’s possible. But the answer is still sixty nine over five.”

“How do you know?”

“Advanced Pre-Calc, I had Ms.Petrov before, remember?”

“Nope.”

“Here let me help you with this.” Jeremy’s hand went to touch Michael’s who flinched away, retracting his hand.

“Can you not do that? It’s just ever since Walmart I don’t think I’m comfortable…”

“With me touching you?”

“Yeah. That.” A sad look crossed Jeremy’s face for a moment before disappearing.

“I won’t, I’m just showing you where the decimal sould go before you make it a fraction.”

“Okay,” Michael followed Jeremy’s instructions getting half way through the problem when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Picking it up he saw it was a text from Jake.

yo Mikey I’m throwing a bomb ass party tonight and u r invited- -no thanks no thanks?- -don’t like parties come on dude, please?- it’ll just be me and the rest of the drama squad- except Chloe- she’s angry- -… -idk please?- -… -fine awesome!- c u tonight at my place- btw, pepperoni or bacon for pizza?- -def. pepperoni coolio-

Michael pocketed his phone as he looked up to see Jeremy had disappeared again. Michael looked down at his homework surprised.

‘Weird, thought was only halfway through.’

The page had all been filled out except for the last one. ~~ Chloe checked her phone again. Still nothing from Brooke.

'Damn it, how long is that bi-Brooke going to ignore me? She would’ve usually cracked by now. God damnit.’

The last text she’d sent was from less then a minute ago, she knew Brooke has seen her messages at this point. She was being ignored. By Brooke. And this was really starting to piss her off. Checking Instagram she went to Brooke’s page to see she had been unfriended by the blonde.

'Why doesn’t Brooke want to talk to me? Wait, I already know. That freak, Michael. Ever since he started claiming he could see ghost boy Jeremy Heere Brooke suddenly stopped listening to me-’

“Ms.Valentine, I’m trying to teach. Please put that phone away.”

~~

“Does Jake invite you to a lot of parties now?” Jeremy asked as they stood in front of the mirror in Michael’s room as the living boy tried on another one of his red button up shirts. “Also, these literally all look the same. Do you just buy your shirts on bulk?”

“Sometimes. And not really. Or at least I never go.”

“Why not? You’re being invited to Jake freaking Dillinger’s party. That’s like the most awesome thing that could happen to you in highschool.”

“Yeah going to a loud, crowded house party surrounded people drunk of their asses because people feel sorry for you sounds really awesome.”

“Feel sorry for you?”

“The only reason I’m invited is because feels bad about what happened to you.”

“Oh…then why are you going tonight?”

“Well I just thought I haven’t ever really gone to a highschool party and it’s only like five people. If I’m lucky Chloe won’t be there,” Michael decided on one of his identical red shirts taking off his hoodie allowing Jeremy to see his chest. The teen turned away until Michael walked past him towards the bathroom. Heading over to the medicine cabinet he brought out a bottle of old spice Jeremy got him for his birthday. Michael made a face as he shared it on. “Aw, Christ. This smells horrible. Jeremy is it obvious?”

“I don’t know, I can’t smell.”

“Oh.”

“Wait I got you that three years ago. You’ve never work it before?”

“It seems with a good reason, do you think I have time for a shower?”

“What time does the party start?”

“Seven.” Jeremy’s head peeked through the wall before coming back into the bathroom.

“It’s seven thirty.”

“Yeah I still got time.” ~~ “So when’s Michael supposed to get here?” Rich asked looking up from the game of Mario Kart he and Jenna were playing.

“Yeah it’s like eight o'clock already,” Christine said snapping out of her nap, “Maybe we should call it-”

“No he’ll be here any minute maybe he ran into traffic or something.” Jake was playing with his red cup nervously, unable to remember if this was his third or fourth cup of beer. Brooke noticed this taking the cup away from him.

“Jake he lives two blocks away. He didn’t get stuck in traffic.” That’s when the front doorbell rang prompting Brooke to open the door and see Michael dressed nicer than earlier. “Woah, Michael you…” She trailed off when her nose caught a whiff of the scent she new all too well. Covering her nose she unconsciously backed away, Michael noticed.

“I took a shower but even then it didn’t wash off.”

“You smell like my ex Peter, he always smelled like Old Spice.” Jake walked past the blonde, barely fazed by the scent as he pat Michael on the back.

“Glad you could make it bro! Here,” he handed Michael a red cup, “drink up, the nights just beginning!”

“I’m not much of a beer guy-”

“Come on dude, just a drink or two.”

Michael looked over towards Jeremy who nodded. Just…one beer wouldn’t hurt.

An Hour Later:

“~And I will always love you!~” Michael sat on top of the kitchen table moving his head as he sang along to the music. Everybody else was either gone or passed out on the floor for some reason except for Michael who fell as he tried to get off the table. “Oh come on Jeremy~ I know y-you’re here, pfffttt Heere, somewhere~” There wasn’t a response as Michael drunkenly stumbled towards the door. “W-w-well you guys this was fun but I need to go home~ Bye~”

He fumbled with the handles for a few moments before finally opening the door as he felt a small buzzing sensation in his neck.

'Man how much did I drink? Pfff who cares. I need to go home and wait…where’s Jeremy? Jeremy’s missing, I should find him.’ Through his buzzed haze Michael stumbled out of the driveway to the street giggling all the way as he came to a stop in the middle of the road to look up at the sky. 'Woah, there’s so many stars or maybe I should try and count them…one, two-’

“Michael!” A voice called out to the teen at he turned around but instead seeing the source he saw a bright light coming towards him.

'Aliens? Cool, maybe I should go towards the light.’

“Michael!” That was the last thing the teen heard before the sounds of screeching breaks and someone screaming.

Ch.14

Michael’s head pounded as his eyes slowly opened, a beeping should came from nearby.

“Mmmmm….” The whiteness of whatever room he was in was blinding. 'Jesus Christ my eyes.’ His vision came into focus as began to look around the room. He was in a hospital bed, the being was coming from a heart monitor. There were two seats next to the bed, his mom was asleep, her head hanging slightly off the arm of the chair. Turning around he saw Jeremy pacing in front of his bed. His friend came to a stop when he noticed Michael was awake.

“Michael!” He rushed over to the other teen’s side.

“Jeremy?” This came out as a hoarse whisper as he tried to sit up but quickly laid back down from the pain in his chest. “…fuck…Jeremy, what happened last night?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Nothing past getting to Jake’s party…” Michael clutched his chest in pain as he said that, “Christ it feels like a car hit me.”

“That’s because it did.”

“Wait, what?”

“You were in the middle of street when a car hit you. You’ve been asleep for the whole day.”

“Holy Shit.” Michael tried remember anything from the drunken haze that was the party last night. Nothing was clear except for one thing…“I-I think I was looking for you.”

“Why would you be looking for me? I was right there.”

“N-no you weren’t. I remember you weren’t there.”

“Where else would I be?”

“I don’t know, but you weren’t there.” Jeremy didn’t say anything annoying Michael but before he could say anything Michael’s mom snapped awake at Michael’s louder voice.

“Michael, thank God you’re awake!” She went to hug him but pulled away when he winced. “Oh right sorry.” Instead she kissed him on the cheek before giving him a familiar look of disappointment. “Just what the hell were you thinking? Going to a party without telling me, getting drunk and running into the street? You almost died Michael.”

“How do you know I was drunk?”

“Michael I can still smell it on you.” Michael didn’t respond as his mother sat back down in her chair. “You’re grounded until next week. No leaving the house except for school, no car-”

“No phone?”

“You don’t even have a phone anymore, it was crushed in the accident.”

“Oh…”

“I didn’t eat any of your friends to the police but I did find out it was this Jake Dillinger who threw the party so I’m going to have a talk with him.”

“Mom-”

“End of discussion. Now I’m going to go get a nurse.” She left the room slamming the door behind her. Michael looked back at Jeremy who was now sitting in one of the chairs. What the hell was Jeremy hiding from him? Why was he lying? Multiple questions ran through his head but he kept them in when the door opened again as both his mom and a nurse came in.

~~

“-thank you, have a great day mam.” Mrs.Mell signed the last paper before opening the door so that Michael didn’t hit his leg brace on anything. Three fractured ribs, a sprained ankle and a concussion. Nothing too serious and they had already given his mom the prescription for his pain medication. Getting on the car needed help lifting his foot without hurting himself.

The drive home was awkwardly silent. Pulling into the driveway he handed her his car keys before they went up to his room together as she set him in the bed before leaving the room, locking the door behind her. Jeremy was now on the floor staring at Michael before the boy climbed out of bed heading over to his window.

“Michael what are you doing?”

“Leaving.”

“What? Why? You’re really screwed up right now.”

“Maybe but I’m not going to make any progress helping you from a bed.”

“Helpi-Michael what are you talking about? You’re hurt and it’s starting to rain. How are you even going to climb down?”

“The tree.” Michael said this as he lifted the window sill.

“Michael stop those just hurting yourself more, what do you even expect to do? Walk all the way to Jake’s house? Newsflash, that’s crazy.”

“How’d you know I was going to Jake’s house?”

“That’s besides the point.”

“No it’s not. And why were you lying about last night? About being there the whole time? I know you weren’t. If you were you would’ve taken over again and pushed me out of the way.” Jeremy was silent as Michael said that making the bespectacled boy let out an annoyed sound. “Yeah that’s what I thought. I’m leaving and you can’t stop me.” Michael was about to take a step out but suddenly found he couldn’t move as his body froze. “What the hell? Jeremy?” Turning around he saw his friend staying to come in and out of existence, like he was…glitching.

“Activating Emergency Memory Core: Processing.” Wait. What? Emergency Processor Core? Michael watched frozen as Jeremy came in and out for minutes before fully coming back.

“Jeremy, what the fuck is going on?”

“I’m sorry Michael, I can’t allow you to hurt yourself anymore like this. As your SQUIP it’s my duty to keep you happy and safe.”

“W-what are you saying? SQUIP?”

“I’m sorry Michael. I am not the real Jeremy. I am not a ghost. I am a Super Qualified Unit Intel Processor. Your friend Richard Goranski slipped me into your Mountain Dew drink the night before school started. It wasn’t just you getting sick that night.”

“W-wait, you’re saying Rich gave me you?”

“To make you feel better. He saw your declining mental and physical state and wanted to help.”

“Y-you’re kidding. You have to be real, all those memories, the possession, what you did in the bathroom-”

“Michael, I only remember things about Jeremy that you do. I have access to your body that allows for possession. The bathroom lights were electricity charges I put out.”

“But the stall doors-”

“Michael, I can explain it all.” Michael felt tears falling down his face as Jere-the SQUIP let his muscles unfreeze as he fell down to the floor. “I’m truly sorry for the pain over caused you but if it makes any difference I treasure the relationship we shared.” Michael didn’t say anything as he wiped his face off trying and failing to compose himself. “I’m going to guide you how to get out of the house, in a much less dangerous way so that you can talk to Rich. It seems apparent that you two have things to talk about.” Michael didn’t say anything as he got off the floor and followed the A.I. outside of the room.

Ch.15 Confrontation

Rich sat in front of his TV playing Call of Duty when there was a knock at the door.

'Weird,’ Rich thought walking towards the door, 'I thought Jake was working today.’ Opening the door he was greeted by a scowling Michael who was wearing what looked like pajamas with a scowl on his face and a brace on his ankle.

“Bro, great to see you’re still alive! Jake told me about last night, you got hit by car? That’s-”

“I know Rich.”

“Know? Know what?”

“About the SQUIP. It told me.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? That’s all you have to say?”

“Well what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, how about sorry for giving you a computer that pretended to be my dead best friend?” Michael made his way into the house now grabbing Rich by his shirt. “What the fuck?”

“Hey I didn’t know it would try and pretend to be Jeremy but it helped you right?”

“Helped me?! You knew the whole time and you just let it happen?”

“Michael, the night before school started you looked like shit. You have washed your hair in days, your bags had bags and I saw the cuts on your arms. Believe it or not as your friend I actually care about what’s happening to you. So…I slipped one into the Mountain Dew I gave you.” Michael let go of the smaller boy’s shirt as he shoved him away, backing away so that he could leave against the wall. Tears were running down his face again as he sank down to the floor. Rich sat down next to and Je-the SQUIP say on the other side of him.

“I-I don’t know what to do now…”

“If you want, the can get rid of me Michael. I’m not helping you and now I’m not even fully functioning.” The words came out of Jeremy’s mouth making Michael even more confused. “Ever since the alcohol last night I haven’t been properly functioning. Glitching in and out, unable to look up previous data, of you walked away right now and I didn’t know where you were going I shouldn’t be able to follow you Michael.”

“Rich…”

“Yeah dude?”

“The SQUIP wants me to get rid of it.”

“Do you want to get rid of it?”

“Kind of…but at the same time…it’s all I have left of Jeremy. I don’t want to lose him again.”

“That’s alright dude. I understand but if you ever want to, I have some Mountain Dew Red.”

“I know, but I think I need some help. Like serious help. And maybe some distance from Squeremy.” Rich burst out laughing as Michael said that. “What’s so funny?”

“Squeremy? Oh my God! That’s amazing.” The newly dubbed Squeremy smoked at that at that name.

“Squeremy. I like that.” It took Rich a moment to stop laughing before he could articulate his words again.

“B-but seriously, about the help thing? Why don’t you see that therapist dude Jeremy’s dad has been seeing?”

“That actually sounds like a good idea. But maybe Squeremy could stay here? Just until I get back?”

“Uh, sure. I guess.”

“Thanks dude,” Rich nodded his head before hugging Michael. The teen thought about pushing him away for a moment before accepting the embrace. An actual human touch. He doesn’t even think about Squeremy hearing the thought, human touch.

Something the SQUIP knew it could never provide Michael.

~~

“-so Michael is this your first time coming to Therapy?” Michael sat in the red chair just across from the therapist’s desk fiddling with the stress ball that was on the desk next to him.

“I went a few times last year but that was just the one at the school. She didn’t help a lot.” The man’s house was big, Michael had to walk through the living room to get to the office that was decorated with various papers and certificates. It felt almost claustrophobic with how tightly packed it was.

“I’d imagine, schools are where the therapists that got straight D’s are sent,” Michael let out a snort at that, “but don’t tell anyone I said that. My sister’s a teacher counselor.”

“I won’t. At least, as long as you don’t tell my mom I’m coming here. She found out yesterday and “double” grounded me. Whatever that means.“

"You know, you remind me of my son when he was your age, sixteen?”

“Nah I’m seventeen.”

“You’re kidding? You look younger.”

“Yeah I get that a lot.” The man was about to say something when his phone rang. He made an annoyed face as he looked down at the screen.

“It looks like Mr.Heere’s calling again. Do you mind if I take this? It mayhem be a while…”

“No, it’s chill got my stress ball,” Michael have the red ball a squeeze to emphasize his point.

“Alright, I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He left the room closing the door behind him. It was a few seconds. Then a minute. Then a few minutes. Michael got up to stretch his legs to avoid boredom. God the stress ball wasn’t helping….heading over to the deal he saw a picture of the therapist and a teenage boy. It seemed old and frayed, the man looked a lot younger. The teenage boy must have been his son. Curious Michael looked around the desk area when he saw an album labelled family photos.

'I shouldn’t…’ But there was no little voice in his head telling him directly not to. That voice was back at Rich’s house playing Call please Duty. Taking the album out of the book case Michael began to flip through it. More pictures of the boy in the frame. Further in he saw photos of the man with two boys, one a few years younger than the boy in the frame. Another son? Foiling further he stopped when he saw a familiar photo.

It was a picture of him, Jeremy and Jeremy’s dad at the park for Jeremy’s sixth birthday party. 'Mr.Heere must have given him this…’ Flipping through he found a few other pictures Michael recognized from Jeremy’s house. 'Jesus Mr.Heere, what did you-wait.’ Michael turned the page again and saw a photo of Jeremy only…he was with Dr.Graham.

Jeremy was sitting in a chair and the doctor was behind him smiling. Jeremy on the other hand…his mouth was in more of a grimace than a smile and his eyes were wide. Flipping further the pictures of Jeremy and the man became more frequent, Jeremy looking worse with every page turn. Dr.Graham, the man who moved next door to Jeremy’s dad, became his therapist…

Michael felt himself get sick as be realized who’s house he was in. He needed to leave, call the police he-

“What the hell are you doing?”

[brerediddy]

more than survive - chapter 6

As soon as the final bell sounded, Michael and Jeremy met up at the latter boy’s locker since he generally had more to pack up. The taller boy usually only came to school with his headphones and a red pen. As Jeremy shoved his Chemistry book into his bag, Michael couldn’t help but admire his lean waist and the way that his shoulders seemed more defined than they used to. His best friend must have been to the gym more than a “few times”. Regardless, he looked great and Michael couldn’t help but stare.

“Michael?” Jeremy said. “Ready?” He tilted his head ever so slightly with a small gleam in his eye. Was his best friend... staring at him? He hoped so. Michael’s brown eyes were locked on his torso, wandering between his waist and his chest. Jeremy fought back a grin and repeated, “Michael?”

“Oh, um,” he hesitated, immediately bringing his eyes up to Jeremy’s face. God, his best friend was beautiful. Blue eyes were looking at him inquisitively and he realized that he must have looked insane. “Yeah, sorry. Spaced out, is all.” Michael cleared his throat awkwardly. He mentally thanked every god in the pantheon for his darker skin tone so that Jeremy couldn’t see his pink-tinged cheeks.

“Ready?” Jeremy repeated. He ignored the small rush of heat to his face and hoped that his best friend wouldn’t notice. He pulled his backpack higher on his shoulder and began to walk when Michael nodded. They didn’t really speak again until they arrived at the PT Cruiser.

“So, how was the rest of your day?” Michael inquired as both boys fastened their seatbelts.

“Pretty good. I don’t have any homework tonight, so that’s cool,” Jeremy responded absentmindedly. This was comfortable, easy. It was a pleasant distraction from his morning with the SQUIP and his other concerns with the villain. All he needed was a calm night of time spent with his best friend and he would feel better.

“Remember my crush on Spider-Man?” Michael intoned nonchalantly. He pulled out of the student parking lot.

Jesus. This was not a pleasant distraction, Jeremy thought but instead he spoke, “Yeah, how could I forget? You’re crushing on the dude who’s probably like, thirty.”

“No way. He’s not thirty. No thirty-year-old would do the stuff that he does. The reckless stuff, I mean. I bet he’s our age, or maybe just a few years older.” Michael glanced over at Jeremy for a brief second before turning his eyes back to the road. “Anyway. I was going to tell you that I started a fanpage for him.”

Jeremy coughed, hard. “Y-You what now?”

“I started a fanpage. Y’know, like the ones that gather up articles and pictures and things. People can join the page and it’s like a little collection of fans and-”

“No, no, Michael, I know what a fanpage is. But. For Spider-Man? Really? I can’t imagine anyone but you being interested in that,” he explained, picking at his nail nervously.

“Tons of people are interested, actually. That’s what’s so cool!” Michael tapped on the outside of the steering wheel absentmindedly. “There’s like, a hundred members already. I started it two days ago.”

Jeremy didn’t trust himself to speak and instead just nodded. This was the opposite of what he wanted. He never wanted fans! He was just trying to use his powers for good. He only wanted to help out around the city; be a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. And now he had fans?

“I’m just saying, my crush on him is actually moving me up in the world. That’s all,” the taller boy continued proudly. “I’ll send you the link later. It’s pretty sweet.” Jeremy felt the car stop as they pulled into 7/11. Michael hopped out of the car first, closing the door and pausing in front of the car. “Jeremy? You coming?”

“Coming,” Jeremy mumbled, stepping out of the vehicle. He couldn’t wait to drown his anxieties with frozen slush.

-

Other than the slight hiccup with the Spider-Man fanpage, the two boys were having a wonderful evening together as they sipped their slushies (red and blue, respectively) and blew up spaceships.

“Watch out!” Michael called and Jeremy dodged a hit easily.

“Thanks,” he spoke as he moved onto the next objective, Michael by his side. They’d been at it for hours now, the sun sinking down behind the horizon and slowly darkening the basement. As soon as the current mission came to an end, Jeremy let himself fall back in the chair. He hadn’t noticed how exhausted he felt until he looked at the clock. It was nearing midnight and they both had school the next day. He stifled a yawn and felt Michael’s eyes on him.

“Want to call it a night?” Michael asked with a hint of a smile. It wasn’t his fault that his best friend was so cute.

“It’s okay, we can keep going if you want to. I could stay awake for another mission.” As if on cue, he yawned again, this time much more noticeably. How could his body betray him like this? “Seriously, I’m good.”

“Dude, you’re totally falling asleep.”

“Am not,” Jeremy responded, although he could feel the tiredness in his bones. He didn’t want to call it a night. This was the first time in forever that he’d felt even slightly normal and he didn’t want that to end quite yet. He knew that he’d probably get another call from the SQUIP soon, he’d probably have to go and showcase his weaknesses so that the villain could win. He’d have to protect Michael instead of doing his job and protecting the greater good. He couldn’t leave behind this night, not when he was just Player Two again. Not when it seemed so simple in the game: find the bad guys, push them aside, and move on forward with Michael by his side.

“Nah, c’mon. I’m tired, too. We can finish the game another time.” The taller boy set his controller down on the carpeted floor and pushed himself out of the beanbag chair. He reached a hand out to help Jeremy up and spoke softly, “You look exhausted.”

“I am,” the other boy admitted, taking Michael’s hand and standing up. He watched his best friend’s eyes on him for a moment before he turned towards the bed. They had changed into their pajamas a few bathroom breaks ago, Jeremy in some low-hanging sweatpants and a graphic tee-shirt with a chemistry pun printed on it. Michael was wearing some pajama pants and a tank top, which Jeremy was a fan of. He sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to focus on the day’s end. It had been a great evening. There was no use in mourning for times that were passing by, not when he had other things to focus on. He needed to wake up the next morning and be ready for whatever came his way. With distaste, Jeremy welcomed a second thought: it didn’t matter if he was ready. He would have to do it either way. Shaking his head, he pulled back Michael’s duvet.

“Jeremy?”

“Yeah, Michael?” He pushed his way under the covers and laid on his back.

“I wish you’d tell me what’s going on,” the taller boy sighed and he climbed under the covers. He turned onto his side and Jeremy could feel his eyes on him.

The aforementioned boy closed his own eyes, hoping that it would make Michael turn away. His best friend didn’t need more worry in his life. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, knowing that he couldn’t defer the topic away. “I wish I would, too.”

Michael propped himself up on an elbow, chin resting on his palm. “Then do it. Tell me what’s on your mind.” His voice was so soft and patient and kind. Jeremy kind of wanted to cry.

“It’s just,” Jeremy paused to swallow the lump in his throat. “I just had a really nice day with you, that’s all. And I don’t want it to be over.”

“We can have a million more nice days like this, Jer,” he responded with a small hint of a breathy laugh. It was endearing, really, how sensitive Jeremy was to things like this.

“But I don’t know how much longer I have,” he spoke softly. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and at Michael’s sharp intake of breath, he realized how that must have sounded. “Not like that. Sorry. It’s just...I’m really caught up in the middle of something right now. And I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to have nice days like this without worrying about this...thing.”

“What are you caught up in?” Michael’s tone had turned to one full of concern, his brows furrowing. He knew something was bothering the other boy. He just knew. “Jeremy, I can help. Whatever it is, it can’t possibly be that bad.”

“It can be, Michael,” Jeremy answered immediately. He opened his eyes to glance at the other boy. “It sucks, that’s all. I can’t really go into details.”

“Can you give me a hint?”

“No, Michael. I’m sorry,” he closed his eyes once more and rolled over onto his side so that he was facing away from the boy’s prying gaze. “I’m just overtired, I think. I’ll feel better in the morning. I had fun tonight.” He pushed himself up for half a second to turn off the lamp on his side of the bed. Once the room was plunged into darkness, he laid back down with a sigh.

“I had fun, too,” Michael said. He slowly inched closer to his best friend, desperately wanting to help. But if Jeremy didn’t want his help, then what could be done? He chewed on his lower lip before moving the last few inches and closing the distance between them. He draped an arm over Jeremy’s midsection which was surprisingly firm (when did he get abs?) and rested his other arm underneath his own head. Michael half expected Jeremy to pull away, so he was shocked when the boy scooted even closer and pushed his back against the taller boy’s chest. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” Michael spoke softly into Jeremy’s ear.

“I know,” Jeremy whispered. Louder, he said, “Goodnight. You’re the best.”

“I’ll be here. Whenever you’re ready to talk,” he said with a more gentle tone that he reserved only for his best friend.

Jeremy mumbled, more to himself than to Michael, “Someday,” and then closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep.

-

Fire. Everything was on fire and screams were at ten-thousand decibels and Jeremy couldn’t take it. He couldn’t do it. He was standing in the middle of it all, his suit torn and his mask off, debris narrowly missing him with every passing wind. He couldn’t do it; he couldn’t save them. Buildings were collapsing around him, the SQUIP hovering menacingly above it all. He cackled as Jeremy tried desperately to do something, to save even one person. His webs wouldn’t work, they wouldn’t come out. The SQUIP had figured out a way to make them useless. His reflexes were slower, his super strength was gone. A piece of metal swung around behind him, hitting his back and knocking him to his knees. He looked up at the villain, saw his red-glowing eyes. Jeremy could hear people all over the city calling for help, he could hear sirens and gunshots and yelling. He just needed it all to stop. Suddenly, Michael was on the ground, mere feet in front of him. He was just laying there, not moving, not making a noise.

“See what you’ve done, Jeremy? You’ve killed him. You did this!” The SQUIP watched with a smile as Jeremy stumbled over to his best friend’s broken body.

“Michael,” he spoke frantically, the air leaving his body. “Michael, wake up.” Jeremy pressed a hand against Michael’s chest, against the torn hole in that stupid red hoodie. His hand came away with blood, too much blood. Jeremy let out a choked sob, gripping the boy’s shoulders tightly. “Michael! C’mon, Michael, you’re my best friend. You can’t leave me!” He yelled louder and louder, shaking the other boy. “You can’t leave me!” He repeated. Michael would wake up. He had to.

“Michael shouldn’t have gotten caught in the crossfire,” the SQUIP noted with a raised brow. “He should have known that Spider-Man wouldn’t save him.”

“Michael, please!” Jeremy was sobbing now, his chest heaving. What was he supposed to do? His best friend was...he was...

He wasn’t. That was the entire problem. He wasn’t . Not breathing, not moving, not existing. Not anymore.

“Please,” Jeremy said, quieter now. His voice drew into a hoarse whisper. “You can’t leave me.”

-

“Jeremy?” Michael’s voice rang out, loud and clear, cutting through the wasteland of Jeremy’s subconscious. “Jeremy.”

He felt himself shaking. Why was he shaking? No, he was being shaken. Strong arms were gripping his biceps and he suddenly jolted awake. Panicking for a moment, he looked at his surroundings before his eyes settled on a face above him. As his vision adjusted to the dark, he could make out the features. Brown skin, black hair, and glasses framing concerned eyes stared down at him.

Open eyes. Michael’s eyes were open. He was moving, he was breathing. He was here. Jeremy pushed himself up in an instant, pulling Michael into his chest with all of the strength he could muster. He was aware of a weird dampness on his face and realized that he was probably crying, but that didn’t matter. Michael was alive. He was okay.

“You’re okay,” Jeremy murmured, more for his benefit than for Michael’s. “You’re okay.”

“Of course I’m okay,” the other boy responded. His tone became more confused and less urgent. “Are you?”

Jeremy nodded emphatically. He still hadn’t released his best friend and instead was holding him tighter with each passing second. “I’m just really glad to see you.”

“Um,” Michael spoke, pulling back just enough so that he could look into the smaller boy’s face. “I’m...glad to see you, too?”

Jeremy found that his eyes had finally stopped producing tears and he sniffled slightly. He loosened his grip on his best friend to fall back against his pillow. He then turned onto his side so that he could keep an eye on the other boy, so that he could watch him breathe. Michael kept his eyes locked on Jeremy as he lowered himself onto his side, too, and he reached a hand out to gently touch the smaller boy’s cheek.

The warmness of the touch reminded him of how real Michael was, how solid. How alive. Jeremy leaned into the contact and let out a long breath, trying to calm himself down. Everything was fine.

“Was it a nightmare?” Michael asked, his voice gentle and low.

Jeremy nodded and said, “Yeah. Sorry, did I wake you up?”

The other boy shook his head in response. “I got up to get some water and you were crying. I thought maybe something happened, but then I saw that you were asleep.”

“Sorry for freaking out on you,” Jeremy spoke softly. “I’m okay.”

Michael said, “Okay,” but didn’t seem convinced. His eyes still hadn’t stopped searching the blue ones across from him. His hand still hadn’t stopped caressing the other boy’s jawline. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jeremy reached his own hand up to rest on top of Michael’s. “I just. I had this image of you, like. Just...dead.” On the last syllable, his voice broke but he couldn’t find it in himself to be embarrassed, not in front of his best friend. He pushed down the lump in his throat.

Michael’s face softened immediately, his head tilting ever-so-slightly. His brows furrowed and he stared into the other boy’s eyes intensely. “Jeremy,” he said like it was the only word he knew.

“But. You’re okay. You’re not dying,” Jeremy intoned.

“I’m not dying,” Michael confirmed. He pushed himself closer so that his forehead could rest against the shorter boy’s. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

Jeremy closed his eyes and focused on the sound of Michael’s breathing. Everything was okay.

[prompt-master]

My Hero

Anon asked: Michael is getting bullied, so protective boyf riend Jeremy steps in.

Anon asked: Jeremy hasn’t seen Michael all day and was texting him and stuff. So, lunch comes around and he can’t stop staring at his phone,when Jake nudges him and Jeremy looks up to see him nervously smiling with a black eye. (I know it’s stupid, but I dunno I just thought…)

I mean if by stupid you mean god damned brilliant cuz I love this with a burning passion and I wish I was a better writer to give it justice. Let’s get into it!!

‘Hey Mikey, wanna meet up at the caf before homeroom?’

‘Also can I hitch a ride to school?’

'Dude?’

'yo Mikey you aren’t skipping without me right?’

'Sorry for all the messages it’s probably annoying but where are yoh??’

’*you’

'Are you sick? Alarm not go off?’

Jeremy frowned at his phone, reloading the messages for about the tenth time to still find no response from Michael. The bus pulled up to him, and with a defeated sigh he climbed in. Alright Jeremy just do like you always do, stare at your feet and sit alone in the front of the bus. Easy peasy. Jeremy plopped himself down into a sticky cold seat, and leaned his head against the shaking window as he pulled out his headphones, eager to drown out noise. Once he played some random dog from his playlist he reloaded his messages once again.

No new messages.

He hoped Michael was ok. He was the kinda guy who responded almost instantly to texts, as people with no life tend to do. Jeremy’s the same but only to Christine and Michael, otherwise he just casually forgets he was even texting you and responds a week later. But Michael isn’t that kind of guy. Was he ignoring him? Shit. What if he was having an anxiety attack? Since the incident last year Michael had had more and more trouble with his anxiety. He didn’t want Jeremy’s help though, something about needing to get over a dependency problem. But Jeremy still wanted to help his best friend be ok. Jeremy tugged at the sleeve of his shirt, stretching out the fabric. Jeremy’s fingers moved to reload the page again, when a buzzing similar to the shaky vibrations of the bus went off in his hand. Jeremy’s face out up and his shoulders instantly relaxed, Michael.

'Hey sorry man :( I got distracted lol, can still give ya a ride tho’

Jeremy sunk into the bus seat with a smile unconsciously crossing his face, his long legs curled up uncomfortably to dig into the seat in front of him. Another reason Jeremy picked the very front seat, he always worried the person in front of him would be set off by him sitting like this. He knows the person behind him is annoying the shit out of him, knees digging in and out of Jeremy’s spine.

'Its cool man, already on the bhs’

’*Bus’

Jeremy tapped his finger to the side of his phone alone with his music, he liked the texture of his phone case. For a moment he began to day dream when his phone buzzing cut him off, he was glad Michael was back into his usual texting habits. Jeremy was just letting paranoia get the best of him that’s all. He let that bad feeling go right down the drain as he messaged Michael.

'Sorry dude, I’ll see ya at school tho!’

'I’d hope so. So what were you distracted with??’

For a moment the typing symbol came up and Jeremy watched it for a moment, expecting the next reply to come fast. But then it disappeared. And reappeared. Then disappeared again. That’s weird.

'Porn.’

Jeremy snorted through his nose at the blunt response. He gripped onto his backpack strap with one hand and texted with the other as he got off the bus and walked towards the senior cafeteria, where his new friend ground would be.

'Dude. Relatable.’

’:P’

Jeremy gave his phone a fond smile before sitting down in his designated seat. Well ok he was never told he had to sit there but you know, unspoken seating charts and all. Jeremy placed his phone in his lap as Rich came over and slammed his hand down on the table.

“Morning Hetero!!”

Jeremy lifted his hand in an awkward semi-wave, “Hey Rich.”

Inbetween talking to Rich, Jeremy would look down and text Michael. Rich teased him once or twice but Jake eventually came and his attention was diverted. Jeremy half listened to the conversation as more people flooded in, something about if you’d kiss a snake for money. At some point someone, pretty sure it was Rich, said “Well Jeremy’s a furry so we know his answer”

But at the moment that ridicule wasn’t on his mind. He lifted his head and scanned his friend group, watching them all talk with way too much happy and ease for late 7 AM. Everyone was there besides…Michael. He huffed a little and went back to texting, his neck awkwardly bent down in a horrific display of bad posture.

'where you at? You said you’d be here??’

Again the typing symbol stuttered. Going up and down, in and out. Jeremy felt his jaw move to left in thought.

'Sorry, traffic.’

'Woah wait dude have you been texting me while driving?’

Jeremy suddenly got a string of messages, something Michael tended to avoid for fear of annoying someone.

'What??’

'No! No! Nono’

'Traffic man. Don’t worry I’m safe n shit.’

Jeremy sighed, 'ok…see you at lunch I guess?’ Seeing as the bell for homeroom just rang.

'Yeah man. Lunch. I can still text tho. Promise.’

That was essentially how the rest of the first half of the day went. He texted Michael throughout classes, and found himself disappointed that he wouldn’t get to walk the hallways with him. Christine had seen him walking alone with his phone in hand. She went over and walked with him, so at least he wasn’t alone. He still missed Michael though, as nice as overanalyzing musical numbers with christine was.

Soon lunch rolled around and Jeremy was still glued to his phone. It was strange without being able to turn and talk to Michael every two seconds. So he sat there with his best bed through his phone, absorbing all the interaction he could get. Every now and then someone would ask him a question and he’d numbly nod in response as he reloaded his messages again.

“Jeremy, your gay is showing.” Rich suddenly said, leaning forward to peak over Jake who was sitting on Jeremy’s right side.

Jeremy looked up from his phone, “w-what?”

“Stop texting your future boyfriend and talk to us dude. Tell Christine that I’d kick her ass if the hunger games was real.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes but smiled anyway, “sorry Christine, but you’re too nice.”

She gave a…slightly concerning laugh, “what if that’s just my secret weapon?”

“Chrstine the other day you cried because we passed by an animal shelter and you wanted adopt them all.” Chloe said, looking up from her lunch.

“They don’t have homes! Haven’t yojcseen those commercials!!”

Jeremy let the conversation fade out as he focused on the one with Michael through his phone. After a bit of waiting he felt his paranoia bubbling too high and was about to ask where he was when an elbow his the side of his chest. Jeremy jumped up and looked at the source, Jake, who was staring at him with concerned eyes.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow, “what’s wr….” He voice trailed off when he saw Jake’s eyes move from him to a figure sitting across from him with a slight nod towards them. Jeremy followed and- shit.

Jeremy feels bad about it looking back but just wasn’t able to stop the gasp that came out of his mouth. His eyes held the attention of Michael’s figure, his eyes polish and unable to look away. What had Jeremy’s attention? Michael’s face, which held a very clearly nervous smile that Jeremy’s staring wasn’t helping with. Michael’s smile twitched a bit as he sat down, silently waiting for Jeremy to react. But more importantly than the anxious look in his eyes was his right eye. It was blue and purple and swollen so badly that Jeremy had to wonder if he could he even see through it.

“Michael holy shit!” He yelled. The rest of the table was already looking over Michael all of them holding their own worried expression.

“Dude what happened?!”

“I uh…jacked myself off so hard that I punched myself in the face?” The way Michael couldn’t meet Jeremy’s eyes said it all though, that awkward side shrug as he tilted his head down. It looked like Michael wanted to run away. The way all this came along was proof enough he was lying.

Christine was getting an ice pack out of her lunch box. She gently moved Michael’s glasses and ignored his little, “I’m fine Chrissie” in favor of gently holding it to his eye. Michael smiled and held it there himself.

Jake then spoke up, “Dude is someone messing with you? Cuz crutches make a good weapon I’ll beat their ass”

Michael instantly waved his hands around in defense “no no! It’s fine really!”

Jenna frowned, propping herself up on her elbow, “…michael that was pretty defensive are you sure-”

“Yeah! Look I know it looks bad but it’s just a bruise.”

Jeremy then answered, “yeah it looks bad! It looks really bad!”

Michael smiled at his worry, “it’s ok jer…can we just eat?”

Jeremy sighed, his phone now I’m his pocket as he poked his…uh…mashed potatoes? With a fork. He’d ask Michael about this more later.

“Oh and Jenna I swear if everyone finds out about my black eye ill-”

“Lips are sealed jeez. So rude.”

–

Later Jeremy had decided enough was enough. Michael was still avoiding meeting up with him between classes and now he knew this morning’s “traffic” was a lie too. So all this lie was obviously to cover up the injury, Jeremy could put two and two together. But more important why did he hide it? Jeremy picked at his skin as he felt his mind race with an awful list of possibly scenarios, the best being jerking off too hard. Either way Jeremy couldn’t take it anymore, he wasn’t going to let this spiral into a bad situation so he went straight to Michael’s last period class when the bell rang. He hoped to catch him, hitch a ride, and then ask what really happened. Michael always felt calmer and expressed his feelings more in the car. It was like a theraPT-cruiser.

Jeremy rehersed lines of how to ask Michael in the least anxiety inducing way when he heard the slam of a locker. He turned his head to find a tall blond shoving Michael against a locker. Jeremy isn’t make it out over the buzz and fuss of the hallway, but he knew the guy was yelling down at Michael. Michael glared up at him defiantly and fixed the headphones on his ears, cringing at the yelling. That is until they were yanked off his head forcefully, Michael’s phone falling out of his pocket as the bully pulled it away.

Jeremy clenched his fists at his side, feeling red hot anger and an overwhelming sense to protect come alive from inside him. He wished then that he was Jake or Rich and could right. Or one of the popular girls with enough cred that they could look at a guy wrong and make them stop. Jeremy was just Jeremy. But damned if he was him sit by and let this happen. Just as the guy yelled “I’m fucking talking to you” and threw Michael’s headphones to the ground before stepping on them, Jeremy felt a surge of courage.

“Hey!”

The bully froze and turned to Jeremy, looking confused before his brown eyes turned into a dirty glare. Jeremy felt himself flinch, he watch Michael’s worried and scared eyes scan him. His face told Jeremy to run away. But instead Jeremy stood up straight as he was trained to last year.

“Y-Yeah! I’m talking to you!” He marched forward, glaring up at the guy.

The certified shit field laughed and looked at Michael, “Well look who’s come to join us!”

Michael flinched and pulled on the strings of his hoodie, “no wait…you..you said you wouldn’t bother him remember?”

Jeremy allowed himself a moment of shock, was Michael allowing himself to be bullied for him? Thats fucking stupid. Heroic and touching, but stupid. The guy shrugged and lifted his fist again. Jeremy moved so fast he didn’t even realize how he reacted until someone explained. He had thrown himself in front of Michael and held out his arms pritectivly. Jeremy can remember the rush going through him at that moment. In a brilliant decision he gave a swift kick right to the guys crotch, laughing awkwardly as he fell like a rock.

Michael’s hand dragged him away from the scene quickly, both of them ignoring the yells of “I’m gonna kick both of your geek asses to hell!”

When they were alone Michael grabbed onto Jeremy’s sleeves “Dude that was amazing! Thank you so much.”

“That guy….did he..is he the one who?”

Michael nodded with an apologetic smile

“Why was he fucking with you?”

Michael sighed and looked away, staring down at the dangling headphones he had dragged along.

“Michael tell me.”

“He uh… I guess he’s a old ex friend of Jake’s and heard it was your fault he stood up on his legs at the play? And like…he’s been pissed since.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened “…since..?”

Michael waved his hands “it’s ok it’s ok! He only found out a month ago and I told him to leave you alone and it worked until well…yesterday.”

Jeremy frowned, “so when you were late this morning”

Michael sighed and rubbed a finger on his face then showed it to Jeremy, allowing him to see the faint residue of make-up, “I was trying to cover it up”

“And avoiding me all day?”

“…” Michael kicked his foot a little, his eyebrows quirking downward, “didn’t want you to worry…”

“Michael I…you gotta tell me about this stuff!”

“I know…”

“I just care”

Michael smiled this time, “I know…thanks.”

Both of their eyes turned to the smashed up headphones on the floor. “Well I guess those are busted.”

Jeremy nodded, “sorry man…”

“Its ok..” Michael swung an arm around Jeremy, smiling as he led him to his car, “I still have the minions ones you got me for my birthday!”

After the two of them winded down and were left to their houses they instantly pulled out their phones. Both of them allowed themselves to fall into this familiar fast reply daze, and Jeremy couldn’t have felt happier when Michael sent him a goodnight message followed by “my hero" and a heart emoji.

[storyunrelated]

Ga-Ga, Goo-Goo

Uh...

I think some of the wording in this is going to get me followed by some unsavoury bots but, you know, it is the way it had to be.

[Life is complicated, but the solution is standing right outside the door*]

*That description tells the poor people NOTHING about what they can expect...

‘Doom!’ said the newspaper in big, bold, scary letters. Jeremy tutted, clucking his tongue and rolling his eyes.

The newspaper had been saying the same sort of thing for a while, albeit in different ways. Today was a little less subtle than usual to be sure, but wasn’t far different in tone. Jeremy tutted again. It was all going to shit, apparently.

The world was in dire shape indeed if what he read was anything to go by, and he saw no reason not to believe it. Why would a newspaper that wanted him to buy it tell him lies? He could see no reason why that would ever be the case. Clearly what they were warning him about was one-hundred percent real and based on solid, sourceable evidence. It was all there in black and white (with pictures. Lots of pictures).

Foreigners were marauding across the country, pillaging and despoiling all and sundry. According to the paper it was happening in the street outside his house at that very instant. He looked, but could see nothing, so presumably it was happening a little further up and out of sight. Dreadful business, to be sure. Damn interlopers.

Some problems were homegrown, however. The poor frothed and seethed up from the gutters, wrongly claiming all the things that Jeremy knew only hard-working people like him deserved. Food. Shelter. Water. A life with the minimum of hardship. These vultures circled the carcass of a society that they were vaguely responsible for the decline of and for some reason expected a handout. Just because they were ‘human beings’ with ‘inherent value’. Jeremy couldn’t stand such malingerers. If he hadn’t been retired he would have done something about it.

And then there were the women! And the gays! And all the other disparate groups who were not like Jeremy. With their likes and dislikes that he did not share and so could not empathise with. How was he supposed to feel sympathy for the plight of those unlike himself? At what point did that make sense? Clearly they were beneath notice and their problems were mere distractions.

All these groups and more were the ones at fault. Clearly. Jeremy had had a sneaking suspicion this had been the case and he was happy to see reality - reported to him via the medium of a non-biased, objective and thoroughly honourable newspaper proprietor - coming out in support of his views.

It was oddly comforting to know that someone was to blame for all the woes assailing the nation. The alternative – that reality was a complex web of interactions oftentimes too intertwined to be easily unpicked and explained – was simply too horrifying to even bother contemplating. How could anyone live in such a world? Who would they point to accusingly when things went wrong?

Things happened and someone had to be at fault for them happening. Jeremy wanted it to be as simple as that, and whoever wrote the newspaper he liked buying was only too happy to oblige. ‘Blame is our game’ was, indeed, the motto they had proudly printed on their frontpage. It had been in Latin previously, but that had been deemed too elitist. Plans were in the works for the words to be replaced with pictures soon, as part of a push to simplify the paper even further.

The prototype for the new edition was two pages, one with a smiling face and the other with a frowny one so the reader could flip between the two at leisure. Tests were positive so far, with many reporting that the newer, slimmer, sleeker version gave the same news-reading experience as the old broadsheet with far less of the wasted space.

(In practise the two pages would be accompanied by seventy-four pages of advertisements. That was just a given.)

But Jeremy didn’t know about any of that. All he knew was that today was worse than yesterday.

In spite of everything that had been done to try and fix the country it still insisted on being broken. They’d stripped workers of their rights, forced the disabled into work they were often physically incapable of doing, made higher education impossible to enter for anyone below a certain level of class and wealth, thrown foreigners off cliffs (the White Cliffs, obviously), rolled back women’s right and also LGBT rights while they were at it, sold off every scrap of forest left, the land registry and indeed anything that stood still for too long. But for some reason society continued to suffer.

No-one could come up with an explanation to this, or at least no-one anyone wanted to really listen to. Whiners never had answers, only ‘explanations’, for whatever those were worth. Jeremy and his ilk wanted a solution, preferably one that looked like it was taking immediate effect even if it was doing absolutely nothing.

What good was a solution that took time to work? The problems plaguing them were plaguing them now, not in a few years time when sensible decisions taken in the present would start to bear fruit. How was that difficult to understand? Who wanted to have to wait to fix something? Where was the point in that? You might be dead by then! And you were all that mattered, so who would ever waste their time so?

And so Jeremy had made a decision. He was tired of living a life of constant worry, incessantly hounded by his brain nagging him to actually stop and think for a moment. It was exhausting. He could only fend off the thoughts for so long on his own. They scratched at the edges of his mind and threatened to make the full scope of events and the world clear to him. Terrifying.

Thankfully for Jeremy he had found just the remedy.

Leaping to his feet from his chair (or rather, lurching slowly) he allowed his newspaper to fall dramatically by his feet, startling the dog, who blinked. As far as the dog had been concerned today was just another lazy day of doing nothing and to see such a sudden burst of activity from Jeremy was unsettling to say the least. Jeremy strode towards the front door.

“What’s happening, Jer?” The dog asked, scampering along beside his master. Jeremy snapped his fingers.

“I’ve made a decision, Rufus! I need a change. The world is going to shit and it’s the only thing left open to me,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt as he moved towards the hallway.

“A decision, Jer? Sounds important,” Rufus panted, folloloping along.

“It is important, Rufus! There’s a solution to the plague of doubt and worry that weighs like a blanket across the land!” Jeremy said, shedding his shirt and hopping along as he removed first his shoes, then his socks. Trousers next as he moved towards the front door. Beyond the frosted glass, a figure loomed.

“A solution, Jer?” Rufus asked. As deep-rooted as trust in his master ran, Rufus did have to admit to a certain level of worry. This was all just sudden, and there was something about that looming figure that made Rufus uncomfortable.

“A solution, Rufus. Some might see it as a step backwards, as regression - but I assure you it is the right way to go.”

By now Jeremy was stark bollock naked. There was nothing attractive about this and the world  had no pressing need to see it. This did not stop him opening the front door.

Standing on Jeremy’s front step was a man. A very large man. Something about him was just off. Maybe it was his distant, glassy stare. Maybe it was the way he looked to have been carved from a side of beef, coated in lard and then wrapped (too tightly) in skin. Maybe it was a combination of all of these factors.

Maybe it was how wide he smiled when he saw Jeremy.

“Come here,” the man said, spreading his arms wide.

“Daddy!” Jeremy bawled, leaping up and being caught by the man who pulled him in close, cradling him as one might cradle a baby. The giant man reached down with one hand and tore open his string vest, allowing Jeremy precious skin-on-skin contact.

“Comfort me, daddy!” Jeremy wailed, nestling into the man’s bosom, suckling warm ale from a raw teat. He grizzled as chubby, greasy fingers stroked his hair.

“It’s the foreigners’ fault,” the man said and Jeremy cooed, dribbling. Everything felt so much more simple, so much safer in the big, strong arms of the man.

“It’s the poor’s fault,” the man said and Jeremy cried tears of joy, soiling himself as every part of him relaxed. Not his fault. Someone else’s fault. And they knew who’s fault. They could fix it. They could punish the people who’d made his country bad. It wasn’t his fault.

If the giant man was unhappy about having just been urinated upon he showed no sign, continuing to gently rock Jeremy in his arms, cooing a hateful lullaby of blame.

“This doesn’t strike me as a practical, long-term solution, Jer,” Rufus said, cocking his head as wee pattered down. He was but a simple dog with simple dog thoughts, but his misgivings were strong.

“Silence, hound! Me and daddy are having a moment! He’s making me feel safe!” Jeremy snapped before sinking back into the enormous sense of comfort that came from surrendering all rational thought to someone nice and big and strong.

“We’ll go back to how things were at an indeterminate point in the past, when things were exactly how you’d like them to be and everything worked perfectly and the world was safe and simple.”

“Oh God yes Daddy yes please,” Jeremy babbled. He wished he could climb inside this wonderful man, just to be closer to him. Every word he said was the sweetest thing Jeremy had ever heard. He could almost feel his brain curdling in his skull. It was bliss.

“Well whatever you say, Jer,” Rufus said, padding back inside the house. He trusted his master knew what he was about. And if he wasn’t, he’d stick with him anyway. It was the dog thing to do.

Jeremy did not hear this. He didn’t hear anything other than the thudding heartbeat of the man cradling him and the words being poured into his ear.

“I’ll keep you safe and I’ll look after you. I’ll protect you from the big scary world by smashing it into chunks you can understand and eat as simple, easy morsels. You’ll never have to worry about anything else ever again,” the man said. Jeremy just nodded, feeling the man’s ruddy flesh rubbing against his face. It was like rubber, only turgid and room temperature.

“Oh that sounds good,” he said.

“And if you ever for one instant try to think for yourself I’ll rip your tongue out and nail it to the Cenotaph, because I am a patriot.”

“Of course you are Daddy that’s the only reasonable thing to do,” Jeremy yawned, falling asleep in the man’s arms as he was carried off and away and far from the concerns of the real world.

Rufus later starved to death waiting for him to come back.

What did you expect to happen?

END