#jeremy heere too but barely

[peanut-butter-and-theatre]

The beach

[badteavee]

Happy birthday , by the way.

Tws / Cws : Suicidal Thoughts / Suicidal Ideation , just shitty mental health in general

Genre : Angst + Fluff

Word count : 1,074

Parings : Jeremy Heere x Michael Mell

Note : This is outside of my usual content but I love bmc and it’s super easy to project onto Michael Mell

11:30pm.

Most knew that Michael wasn’t the most stable individual , not by choice , it was just obvious. Almost weekly if not daily counselor visits , zoning out in class , starting to grey at 15 , barely functioning if he wasn’t high out of his mind. No one was more aware of it than Michael himself. Now he sat in his bedroom , staring at the wall because he couldn’t bring himself to look at his phone. He didn’t want to look at the time again , even if Jeremy texted , he couldn’t handle seeing how close it was to midnight. It’s too close to his birthday.

Ding.

Jeremy’s probably confirming that he’s on his way or he’s here. If he was , one of Michael’s moms could let him in.

11:42pm.

Jeremy slowly opened Michael’s door , a small plastic bag in one hand and a shitty blueberry muffin from Seven Eleven in the other. He knows Michael hasn’t been big on his birthday for a couple of years now but he didn’t like the thought of not getting him anything so he always got something small.

He met the taller’s eye as he set the goods on the side table , he obviously hadn’t slept the night before , his nails were halfway peeled , hang nails torn off. He won’t mention any of it , Michael barely was in a condition to talk , let alone about this.

11:44pm.

Jeremy saw how Michael turned away when he checked his phone , that was his mistake , he should be used to not checking until it was at least 1 am. He took his and Michael’s phones and put them in a drawer , grabbing the wii remotes. He handed one to Michael and sat back down , setting the tv up to play Super Mario Bros.

Michael considered declining , he didn’t feel like he could distract himself this year , he knew this was his best bet to not feel the existentialism however.

11:56pm.

Michael found himself pleasantly distracted , he should’ve known. Jeremy has known how to distract him since diapers. Every time loading takes a little too long or he has to wait for Jeremy to win for them , he can feel it clawing at the back of his mind. <i>It’s getting close to midnight.</i> he thinks. The game starts again and he feels it fade , being replaced by the competitive nature he definitely got from one of his moms.

It was game , wait , dread , game , repeat. It was a distressing cycle but distracting enough for him not to spiral. That’s all that mattered to the both of them.

11:59pm.

Jeremy quickly checked his watch while Michael was distracted , looking back up at the boy yelling at the game for something that was entirely his fault. He smiled , knowing he did his job correctly. He rolled his hoodie sleeve back up. “You know that was totally your fault , right ?”

“It was the controller ! It’s old and the buttons don’t work !”

“Excuses.”

Michael sighed , exasperated , while Jeremy laughed at his dramatics.

12:03am.

Jeremy spotted one of Michael’s moms , Rosemary , cracking open the door to quietly check in. He gave her a smile and subtle thumbs up that Michael was too busy singing along to the AC/DC vinyl he’d put on when he decided it was too quiet to notice. Rosemary grinned , slinking in to hand the boys the bowls of mac and cheese she usually made when they stayed up late.

“You boys don’t stay up too late now.” She ruffled Michael’s hair on her way back to the door , to which Michael groaned , trying to get his hair back to normal while still dancing in his seat.

“I’ll make sure he goes to sleep soon , Mrs. Mell.”

“Thank you , Jeremy.”

1:02am.

The boys had winded down by now , Michael putting on some documentary about dolphins , knowing that Jeremy had no say in the matter of what they watched. The shorter rolled his eyes , choosing to check his watch again.

In years passed , this would usually be the time he’d retrieve their phones and wish Michael a happy birthday but he knew better than to do that this year. Michael never actually thought he’d make it to 17 , something he’d only admitted once to Jeremy but explained a lot about his attitude towards birthday celebration. Every other year since he turned 13 was a possible last year but this one , now , was proof that he did make it. It’s something he should be proud of , it’s definitely something Jeremy and his moms were , but it felt weird.

Living passed what you were supposed to was an interesting experience , it felt numbing knowing you now had to plan your life , but it also was a relief. It’s nice to know you can prove yourself wrong.

Michael’s not thinking about any of that though , thanks to Jeremy , who grabbed the muffin and bag before cuddling into his best friend’s side. He held them just in case Michael didn’t want to take them just yet but he surprisingly took the small bag from him.

There were just a few new pins and patches for his jacket in there , some retro patches Jeremy found off eBay and Bob Marley pins. Michael smiled , hugging the other closer. “Thank you , Jerem..”

Jeremy returned the smile , pecking his cheek. “Of course , Micha.” He held up the muffin. “Wanna split it ?” The taller nodded , both of them trying to split the pastry best they could. It kept breaking off in smaller pieces or just crumbling all together so they gave up after about thirty seconds , resigning to just eating the pieces and taking bites from their halves.

1:53am.

Rosemary came by to check in once more before she joined her wife in bed , slowly opening the door to see them slumped against each other , fast asleep with Michael snoring into Jeremy’s hair. She softly crept in to turn off the record player and restart the documentary that autoplayed.

She paused to look through the drawer , taking the boy’s phones out. She caught a glimpse of Michael’s notifications as she did , multiple messages from him and Jeremy’s new friends all wishing him a happy birthday with stupid and excessive emoji combinations. She smiled and left the phones on the bedside table , leaning over the bed to kiss Michael’s forehead. “Happy birthday , baby..” She whispered before leaving the boys to sleep , she’ll give Michael his gifts in the morning.

[dragonairice]

16 + jeremy heere :)

Oh my gosh you’re a genius.

Jeremy blinked. Then blinked again. The image in the bathroom mirror didn't change. At first he didn’t even notice anything was wrong, until he took a closer look and realised his reflection was taller than him, that it was wearing a cardigan he hadn't touched in weeks, and its hair was messy in a way the Squip would never allow. The reflection blinked - and wasn't that a weird sight - it tilted it’s head slightly in way that reminded Jeremy of a confused puppy; something he very much didn't do. 

“Is this a Squip thing?” he asked after a moment of silence, no other explanation could make sense of this weird hallucination. The reflection pursed its lips, staying quiet. It scanned him up and down, eyes roving from his styled hair to the form-fitting shirt it lacked. It looked back at him, head tilted down slightly to make direct eye contact. “You still have the Squip?” It asked. 

Jeremy suppressed a flinch when his reflection spoke back with his voice, he had been expecting it, sure, but that didn't make it any less weird. Instead, he stood up straighter, puffing out his chest like he was instructed to “Yes” he answered.

The reflection looked crestfallen, which didn't make any sense. It took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching its fists - something Jeremy wasn't allowed to do anymore, and let it out in a heavy sigh. “Look” it said “You’re not going to believe me- I know because I wouldn't believe me, but I’m you. I’m Jeremy Heere, a couple of months in the future”.    

Jeremy blinked. Then blinked again. Then he laughed “You expect me to believe that?” he asked incredulously “Dude, I know my brain is weird but this is just insane”. 

The reflection made a frustrated noise “It’s true!” it insisted “I’m you- just - look, ask me a question only you would know the answer to”. 

Jeremy crossed his arms smugly “Trick question” he said haughtily “You’re from my brain, so anything I know-”.

“I automatically know too” the reflection finished with a smug expression “Isn't that what you were going to say?”. 

Jeremy scoffed, ignoring the seed of doubt that lodged in his throat “That’s barely proof” he deflected “If you’re really me in the future, then tell me if you’re dating Christine Canigula yet”. If by some chance this really was him in the future- the Squip had definitely succeeded by then, right?

The reflection’s lip twitched, like it was laughing at a joke he didn't understand. “I’m in a committed relationship if that’s what you’re asking” it said vaguely. 

Jeremy frowned “With Christine, right?” he pressed. The reflection smiled, saying nothing. 

The boy sighed, massaging his forehead aggressively “If this is my psyche trying to tell me something” he grumbled under his breath “You’re not being very clear about it”. 

The reflection laughed - that ugly wheezing sound that Jeremy detested. “I know you don’t believe it, but I am actually you from the future” it said softly. Jeremy looked up to see its mirthful smile had shifted to something more melancholic, something that looked disgustingly like pity “And there’s something I want to tell you so bad… but we’ve seen enough time travel movies to know that knowing the future changes it”. 

“If you’re from the future” Jeremy said haltingly, tendrils of doubt slowly climbing up his throat “How are you here?”. 

The reflection shrugged “Your guess is as good as mine, dude. I don’t remember this happening at all”. It looked him up and down again, frowning at his appearance (not that he could tell why considering he looked leagues better than the wanna-be in the mirror). It hummed contemplatively, giving him a sad smile.

He had officially had enough of this hallucination / fever dream / actual science-defying act of time travel. “I’m going to bed,” he announced. 

The reflection nodded “Okay. You do that”. Jeremy turned around, fully intending on forgetting this entire interaction. A voice called out for him just as his hand reached the bathroom doorknob “One more thing. Just some advice? Don't lose Michael”. 

Jeremy recoiled like he’d been slapped “What?” he demanded, whirling around to meet his reflection. Only, it looked normal. Styled hair, tight shirt, haunted expression-

God he looked like a mess, Squip would kill him for letting his appearance be so flawed. It was only then he noticed that the supercomputer hadn't said anything at all during that entire exchange. He shook his head, he was way too tired, he was going to bed. 

He didn’t think about it at all the next morning.

Also bonus:

[humorisstoredinthetits]

Heathers Pokemon Au Part 2 (1/?)

So this is a continuation of my earlier post about this AU, I'm most likely not gonna end up writing anything about this bc my writing skills are pretty bad but I have way too many ideas so I'm just gonna write them down here

So the Heathers plus Veronica are just traveling around the region on their journey going to places for their own paths

Chandler is looking for Gyms, Duke for Ranger Stations and Mac for Contest Halls

Veronica doesn't really know what she wants to do and she figures that somewhere along the way she'll figure it out

In reality she can't focus on her future bc of how badly things are going with Martha, she knows she screwed up big time and doesn't know how to fix it, in addition to the weird love triangle between her, the Heathers and JD and that she actually doesn't know what she wants to do

From here I'm gonna go over the 3 major plot lines, its kinda like Scarlet and Violet where they'res 3 lines that each follow one of the friends (or in Veronica's case future girlfriends)

Gyms:

Like usual there are 8 gyms and once you beat them you challenge the Elite 4 and if you manage to beat them you challenge the Champion

Each Gym has a puzzle or task before you can challenge the leader, each one is set by the League to ensure that the Trainers coming through have the skills to be able to make it

Each Leader or E4 member is another musical character bc why not

The 1st is in Tudor City, home of the Ghost-Type Leader Anne Boleyn

She's part of a group of trainers called 'The Six' who each pretend to be the ghost of a wife of an ancient Galarian King who have risen from the dead due to unfinished business

They have shows where they hold a tournament between themselves to see who gets to be the Gym Leader until the next show

Imagine WWE but with Pokemon battles instead of wrestling

So when the gang gets to the city Anne happens to be the one whose won the most recent tournament

For her task Chandler has to help out for the next show, like help set up props, maintenance etc. to show thats she's willing to put in the hard work to live this kind of life and not just take the easy path

She complains, like alot

She thinks its stupid and beneath her and bitches and moans but she does end up doing it

Anne's Team (This and every other team is at their peak, just de-evolve the pokemon and remove as necessary to get the gym teams): Polteageist, Cofagrigus, Ceruledge, Mega Gengar, Mismagius, Aegislash

Swords bc get it thats how she died and Gengar and Mismagius bc she's more on the playful side of Ghost-Types, not all broody like Catherine of Aragon

Chandler wins but just barely, she didn't realize that this was gonna be this hard and she knows its gonna take a whole lot more work than she's been giving it

Bc of her need to always be the best this is where she starts pushing her pokemon harder than she should

Next is Washington City (very original ik) with the Normal-Type Leader Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton used to be an Elite Four member but bc of a scandal involving his wife he was demoted to Gym Leader while his rival, Aaron Burr, was promoted

He's just the teeniest tiniest bit salty about that

The puzzle is a quiz, but bc Hamilton made it its really hard and unnecessarily complicated, the idea being that a Pokemon Trainer must have the knowledge for many situations, bc being a Trainer is unpredictable

Chandler fails, obviously, she's out of school why does she have to take more tests

The other Heathers force her to sit down and prepare, with no small amount of bitching and promises of Corn Nuts

She takes it again and passes, thank Arceus

Hamilton's Team: Smeargle, Oranguru, Exploud, Mega Lopunny, Porygon-Z, Braviary

Smeargle bc writing, Exploud bc Hamilton can't keep his damn mouth shut, Lopunny bc its mega ability is Scrappy, just like his country, and Braviary bc Merica fuck yeah and the rest just bc

Next is Middlebrough City with the Electric-Type Leader, Jeremy Heere

He used to be under the tutelage of one of the E4, a man who goes only by 'The SQUIP' but it turns out he was making Jeremy do shit he didn't really want to and other heinous acts he broke free

But bc the SQUIP has connections and money he didn't lose his job

His puzzle is a little personal, using technology and his Alolan Raichu he scans their traveling companions and makes holograms to try and convince them to do things they otherwise wouldn't want to do, because a good trainer should be able to recognize when a situation is bad and get themselves out of it

Its a little messed up but Jeremy knows the importance of using your brain and thinking

So the trainers are told that the puzzle is just talking to their friends bc they want to see how they get along

There are images of Duke, Mac and Veronica all trying to convince Chandler to take some pill that promises to make her popular, even more so than before, that it will make it effortless, but Chandler resists

(Im not super proud of that one, I just couldn't come up with any other ideas)

Jeremy's Team: Eleketross, Toxtricity-LK, Electrivire, Mega Manetric, Alolan Raichu and Magnezone

His team was really hard, theyre arent alot of techy Electric Types

Next is Westview City with the Grass-Type Leader, Evan Hansen

The Leader position used to be held by his friend, Connor, but he did what he did in canon, leaving the position to his only friend, the only person he felt like cared about him as a person

Evan took it really hard and it took some time but he eventually accepted both what had happened and the role

The puzzle is to write a reflection letter on how your journey had gone so far, because now was the halfway mark, and its important for trainers to look back on where they've been

Its something that Evan wishes Connor would've done, to see all the people who did honestly care about him

Chandler thinks this is stupid AF and tries to get Veronica to do it but she refuses

Her first draft is really bad, its along the lines of "ive learned this is stupid and that im the best, signed Queen HC"

On her second draft they all sit down with her and talk, and the other Heathers talk about how their lives have been changed because of her and what shes done for them

Duke talks about how uncaring she was, just kinda floating through life before they met and Chandler added spice to the mix, and gave her something and someone to care about

Mac reminds her of how they met in Kindergarten, about how no one wanted to be friends with the weird autistic girl who talked about My Little Ponyta all the time and how lonely she was but then she came up to her on her own volition and wanted to be her friend and how much that meant to her

Its around here Veronica's illusion of the Heathers being untouchable is shed completely, sure she knows the solid teflon isn't as solid as it may appear but she didn't realize how flimsy the facade actually was

She's also struck by the similarity between how Chandler and Mac met and how her and Martha met

The new letter actually makes Evan cry

Evan's Team: Tropius, Torterra, Trevenant, Mega Sceptile, Abomasnow, Exeggutor

They're all trees, need I say more

Next is 'Camp' Half-Blood Village, with the Water-Type Leader Percy Jackson

Yes I know its not really a musical but there is a PJO musical so it counts, screw the rules I have money

Percy and his rival Luke used to be friends and fellow gym leaders

Luke taught Percy pretty much everything he knows about being a Trainer, he was his mentor and someone he looked up to like a Brother, that is until he was given the opportunity to become a E4 member if he just took care of an issue

That issue being his friend Annabeth, who was getting a little too close to figuring out what was really going on at the Pokemon League

Percy defeated Luke in a battle and saved Annabeth, but was succesfully scared into silence, or at least being more sneaky with whats going on

His puzzle is to go on a Killer Quest, where they send Chandler out into the woods with nothing but her Pokemon and she needs to make it through the night, the point being that there won't always be a Pokemon Center and she might have to spend the night in the woods, which Chandler had avoided so far bc if anyone sees her without her beauty sleep and 10 pounds of makeup she will lose it

She is of course, pissed off, and she takes it out on her Pokemon, who have had enough of her shit, especially with the hellish training, and refuse to listen and help her with building a camp or getting food

Eventually they have a heart to heart about it and she understands how she was hurting her pokemon and vows to do better as their Trainer

Percy's Team: Palafin, Empoleon, Azumarill, Mega Swampert, Samurott, Kingdra

[mountain-dew-tickledpink]

Remembering

Reupload because I had a weird dream where the ending of this fic looked messed up letters so I deleted and reuploaded, once again hesitant to call this boyfs but basically last fic I wrote but in Jeremy’s perspective

Obviously Jeremy missed Michael. They had been best friends for years, squip or not, and when they stopped talking it hurt like hell.

But a strange part of him felt some sort of relief. Like, it was painful to be miss Michael, and not to mention there was still guilt there for everything that happened.

In a strange way, though? The whole situation gave him an opportunity to grow. Jeremy got to branch out more and make new friends, even if it meant losing his first ever friend.

Things with Christine didn’t entirely work out. There was nothing wrong with that, even if it also hurt, but they still stayed close. Life just kind of goes on that way.

That part also hurt, almost as bad as when he and Michael first stopped talking, but what could he do now? It felt artificial to reach out more now besides the happy birthday texts (the last one sent had Michael respond with “you too” for some reason?) and wishing each other well on holidays.

But it had been a few years, and it had started to hurt less. Sometimes, though, Jeremy wondered if Michael still thought about him.

“The date I had with that girl went really well.”

Jeremy looked up from the menu he was holding, smiling up at his friend. “Hello to you too, Sydney.”

Sydney took her seat and grabbed one of the menus from the table, laughing slightly when Jeremy looked back down at his own. “What was this girl’s name again?”

“Eleanor.” Sydney hummed and tapped her foot slightly. “Really nice girl, works at that aquarium nearby.”

Jeremy put down his menu once he decided what he was going to get, nodding slightly to show he was paying attention. “That’s great, I’m glad that’s going good for you.”

“What about you?” Sydney asked, still looking at her own menu. “Any luck recently with anyone?”

“I mean, not really.” When he and Christine broke up, it’s not like Jeremy stopped dating forever. He went on some different dates with a lot of different people. A few with girls, and a few with guys, it just didn’t always lead to anything specific.

“Well, no big deal. You don’t have to be in a relationship, not a requirement to be happy.” the green haired girl shrugged and put down her menu. “Personally, I’ve been on too many dates.”

“You get too many bitches?” Jeremy teased, and Sydney stuck her tongue back at him for a second.

“No need to insult me, Heere. Terribly wounded. But I’ve plenty of experience with the ladies, you’re correct.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes, and that’s when the waiter came around. After ordering drinks, his attention went back to her. “I’ve had plenty of experience, too.”

“Oh, really? Did you date anyone else outside of Christine that I didn’t know about?”

Jeremy paused for a minute. He shouldn’t have paused, he really hadn’t dated anyone before Christine.

But what he and Michael had was something. Not romantic or platonic, but something.

“I mean, I guess I didn’t really date anyone, but I did kind of have my first really bad heartbreak before Christine?”

Sydney raised an eyebrow, intrigued and leaning forward. “Really? Oh, I’ve got to know more.”

“You know Michael?” Well, obviously Sydney wouldn’t know Michael personally. However, with how long Jeremy and him were friends for, it was inevitable he would come up in a few childhood stories.

“Wait, he was your first heartbreak but you didn’t date? You had a crush on him then?”

He nodded, adding a short hum at the end. “I mean, it was really short lived, but yeah.”

The thing with Michael is he knew he liked boys for a long while. Jeremy’s discovery of liking boys came from a sleepover in seventh grade, in which he and Michael had been making microwave pizza rolls.

It had been a little while before Jeremy liked Christine, and so brief that he barely even counted it as anything. But it did happen.

“It’s kind of weird, looking back on it?”

“Crushing on your best friend? Kind of a classic recipe for queer romance if you ask me,” Sydney teased a little, earning a small giggle from Jeremy.

“No, I mean, even outside of the brief time I liked him, he was kind of my whole world. I didn’t think there would be anything outside of him for a long time.”

It was just Michael and Jeremy. Past, present, future. Only them, and the thought of anyone else being between them used to sometimes make Jeremy sick to his stomach.

Which felt especially ironic now, considering the fact he eventually went on to want more. Not like that was a bad thing, it was actually probably good for both of them to get a break from each other.

“I don’t understand whether or not I was genuinely into him or not, because even after I started crushing on Christine we kind of stayed really connected? Like he was just me but in a different form.”

“Huh..” Sydney listened, the waiter soon bringing the drinks out and asking what they were ready to order actual food. “I think we need a few more minutes, thanks.” She responded politely and turned back to Jeremy as the waiter walked away.

“Michael was what made me feel safe and secure for most of my life. He was consistently there.” Jeremy continued, fidgeting around with his hands. God, why was talking about this so nerve-wracking for him?

“You mentioned before you guys stopped talking after you got a girlfriend, right? Was he jealous or something?”

“I don’t think so..” Jeremy wasn’t for sure. At least, he’s fairly sure Michael wasn’t jealous. The whole situation of them no longer talking came from the squip, but who would believe him if he told them?

That’s when Sydney’s phone buzzed and she pulled it out. “Oh, it’s Eleanor, do you mind if I respond real quick?”

“Oh, no.” Jeremy smiled and pulled out his own phone as Sydney messaged Eleanor, scrolling through his own texts until he found Michael’s name.

‘You too’ was still kind of a funny response to the happy birthday message Jeremy had sent, in his opinion. After looking up at Sydney for a few moments, he started to type.

Hey, how are you doing

That’s when the waiter came in, the pair putting their phones away after Jeremy backspaced on the message.

[maybe-i-should-try-harder]

I got tagged twice !! Hi abyss if you see this you tagged me too anyways to the questions I'm gonna embarrass myself

When did you post your first fanfic?

....so, way back in 2016 when i was like. 9-10.. it was on an old local site named Bookcity that has since been closed but it was VEEERY popular for the fanfiction community in my country. Some of my friends to this day are from there ! Shoutout to Ryan, Star and Dro yall are cool and you knew me when I went by Chica

First character you wrote for?

........okay so it. It. It was a fnaf. Fanfic. And I wrote about Bonnie and Foxy fighting over Chica. (She ended up marrying Freddy LMAOOOOO)

Main character(s) you’re currently writing for?

JEREMIAH HEERE THE ONE AND ONLY

Character(s) you haven’t written for yet but want to write for soon?

Ah jeez... don't think I ever wrote Chloe but I did analyze her.

Fandom(s) you’re currently writing for?

Right now im on my bmc galore but I've always been a deh og

Platonic pairing(s) you currently write for?

Jeremy and all the girls. I love them.

Romantic pairing(s) you currently write for?

...Richjer and Deere 😭 Richie Tozier x Violet (oc) and Pink Guitar (Amy Mayrose my oc X Zoe Murphy)

Top three AO3 tags?

First Kiss, Mutual Pining and I wrote this instead of sleeping

Current Platform?

Ao3! I don't touch anything else sorry

Snippet from current WIP?

ABYSS THIS IS FOR YOU IM ACTUALLY STILL WRITING THIS LMAO IM SORRY FOR BEING A YEAR LATE ITS NOT DONE IM STUPID SLOW

Therefore I'm tagging you even if you did it @theabyssgazesalsointoyou

“Yo, is that fucking Carly Rae Japsen?” A voice asks behind him, a slight lisp can be heard, nearly hidden.

Jake turns around, in slight embarrassment, his eyes slightly wide. A short, muscly guy with a violently vibrant red streak in his beach blonde hair.

“I like her music,” Jake says, smiling a bit. This charming smile always works on everyone.

“That’s fucking lame.” The guy snorts, sporting a muscle top that really shows off his physique, Jake can’t help but appreciate it, he clearly put work into his body, Jake can admit, the guy looks good.

“I like Taylor Swift.” He adds in, grinning wildly as he reveals the cutest tooth gap. (known to man)

Jake’s shoulders untense with relief

“Sup. Rich Goranski, I’m guessing we are roomies? Unless you’re decorating someone else’s room, then that’s kinda weird.” The guy - Rich - says, shrugging offhandedly at the end with a knowing smirk of an unfunny joke.

The more he talks, the more s’s he has to pronounce, and the more Jake realizes.

“Oh my god, You’re a nerd!” Jake laughs with glee, walking over to Rich to hug him real tight.

“And you’re fucking ripped, Jesus!” He exclaims, being squeezed his breath away by Jake.

“You never told me your name.” His eyes focus on the wheelchair behind Jake, though his mouth asks no questions.

“Jake Dillinger,” Jake says through a chuckle, releasing Rich.

“I broke my legs in a freaky accident a year ago. It just makes stuff easier.”

Rich makes an ‘ohhh’ noise and nods, chuckling awkwardly as he backs off Jake.

“Sorry, I gotta ask.

How popular were you in high school?”

“That obvious?”

“You look like a movie.”

“I was the king of high school,” Jake answers sheepishly. “I had an empty house, lots of booze, and a love for sports.”

Rich’s heart hangs on to the empty house statement.

He shrugs. “I tried being popular, found advice online, barely followed through," Rich says, although something hides behind his eyes.

Jake smiles.

"You look plenty cool to me, Broanski."

And Rich bursts into a laugh.

"How were you popular??

Broanski..

Imagine I called you something stupid with your last name.

Like..”- His face scrunches up, thinking. -”..DillingJake

Jakey-ger..'

And then something clicks.

"Jakey D!" And mid-way through Rich's name spiel, Jake started laughing too, holding onto Rich's shoulder for support.

"You're funny, dude."

And Rich just smiles.

Maybe they got lucky with rooms.

❦ ➷ get to know your fellow fanfic writers better ༊ ✧.*

I had fun doing this! ♡

when did you post your first ever fanfic?

January 2017, I think. wow, it’s been 6 years! (no, I’m not giving you my Wattpad username)

first character you wrote for:

Joker. it was during my Wattpad era. I have zero regret, but I’m not giving the link lol

main character(s) you’re currently writing for:

Daniel Harrow & Henry Creel (as in separate fics that aren’t crossover, but wouldn’t it be nice if I wrote a crossover with these two…)

character(s) you haven’t written about before but plan on writing about soon:

Henry Morgan (from Forever tv) !! also, I’d love to write more about Captain Jack Sparrow

fandom(s) you’re currently writing for:

Harrow & Stranger Things

platonic pairing(s) you currently write for:

Daniel Harrow & Simon Van Reyk (Harrow), Henry Creel & Eleven (Stranger Things)

romantic pairing(s) you currently write for:

I know it’s been more than a year since my last update so I can’t say currently, but Loki/Mobius. other than that the more recent one is Will Byers/Mike Wheeler but even then, it’s still rare. so I guess I focus more on writing platonic relationships lately (honestly it just depends on the characters whom my hyperfixation is on and whether their relationship with the other characters is romantic or platonic.)

your top 3 tags on AO3 (if you post your works on AO3):

whump, hurt/comfort & angst

your current platform where you post your works:

tap HERE for my AO3

snippet of the wip you’re currently working on:

should be posted hopefully within the next few days!

But Harrow forced a smile as he greeted Simon with a hug. And when he hugged Simon, his smile became real. And for a moment Harrow could forget the guilt and the shame he carried with him. For a moment, he could really breathe, knowing that Simon was safe. In his arms.

* aka a fix-it fic where Simon lives.

🏷️ no pressure tags at random: @foodiewithdahoodie @queereldritch @bebataylor84 @ohfallingdisco @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @sillylittlerock @jcbbby @maladaptive-jcb @highwarlockofphilly @can-of-pringles @mirilyawrites @chaos-monkeyy @harringroveera @medium-rare-bimbo @deliaqbower @ripcreel @rins-love-wins @okilokiwithpurpose @lokisgoodgirl @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @daddiesdrarryy @loki-hargreeves @zodiyack @cha-melodius @insert-witty-user-name-here @dewdropreader @blackbirdofasgard @mimisempai @underwhelmingalchemist @excusemefangirlhere @abitofboth @worstloki @littlekinng @andiwriteordie @cluelessbees @suzieburself @waroftheposes @drop-of-infinity @bookinit02 @bizarrelittlemew @ghostalservice @pilkingtonian @thefatedthoughtofyou @brbsoulnomming @spooky-brakers @cosmicanamnesis @cranberrymoons @onirislanding @thefreakandthehair @thisapplepielife — if I didn’t tag you and you’d like to join, please do! everybody is welcome

[rebuke-me]

a compiled list of all my best Jeremy Heere headcanons

hes ginger. if I wanna be closer to canon, I say he dyed it brown bc he was made fun of as a kid. if I'm not I just say he's ginger in the musical and they forgot to let him be ginger

he always likes playing characters with long range weapons in video games. he's less of a "go in fight this dude with a sword and bare hands" player and more of a "I have damn good aim and will nerf you from ten feet away" player.

his main thing he likes in a partner is confidence in themselves. he sees someone being unapologetically themselves and he's a goner

he gets crushes really easily, but usually they go away just as easily. if he likes a person more than three months he just realizes that no, this is A Thing Now and he has to deal with it

he had a tiny crush on michael when they were kids, but nothing ever came of it and they've both pretty much moved on from it. they kissed once just to see how it felt and then got too awkward. now they joke about it incessantly but it's not a real thing that would happen between them.

after the squip, jeremy doesn't like mint flavoured things. he didn't particularly like it beforehand, but he really, really hates it after.

him and jenna send each other terrible memes. they have a streak of a few months going.

a lot of his nerdy shirts from presquip got nerfed with his wardrobe change. he still tries to find them at the charity shops around, but he's kind of not hopeful about finding them all

his cardigan was the last decent gift from his dad before his mom left. after that, his dad started forgetting days of the week, much less when Jeremy's birthday was. they're better now, though.

jeremy has a very active fanfiction account dedicated to apocalypse of the damned. it's kind of impressive.

he played piano as a kid because his mom wanted him to, but he still uses his knowledge to learn video game soundtracks and other fun things

he has colour sound synesthesia, but he just didn't realize that's not how most people see things. when he got the squip, it got rid of that and he hated every second of it. he had a huge breakdown in the hospital because his synesthesia came back and it was a bit overwhelming.

once he hit college, he's kissed almost the entire friend group, except jenna. he definitely has preferences of who he likes

christine is one of his closest friends, and they love confusing the hell out of everyone else with musical talk.

he's always cold. even in summer. he usually has at least a long sleeve shirt on.

horror movies freak him the hell out, but he watches them with his friends and just pretends he doesn't absolutely jump at every scare.

he turns into absolute mush at the slightest pet name from any of his friends or crushes. christine called him jer One Time and he was blushing for hours.

[thesquishyarmadillo]

i don’t really have anything to say about this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

bonus!!

[a-clockwork-justice]

Everything I Love About Loser Geek Whatever

So, not too long ago, it was the third birthday of Loser Geek Whatever. Yes, I know the single was released on November 30th 2018 and its considered the song’s official birthday, but the 26th July three years ago was the first showing of the 2018 Off-Broadway revival of Be More Chill and the first time Loser Geek Whatever was shown to the world in any capacity. Therefore, I consider that day to be the song’s unoffical birthday and I’ve been waiting to write down everything I love about it so here I am. (This was originally gonna be posted on the 26th July but I can’t make anything concise so it took longer than that).

I’ve gone on and on about what Loser Geek Whatever means to me personally, how a slew of random chance introduce me to it, got me deep into Be More Chill, introduced me to 90% of my current friends, and overall up-ended my whole life, but now it’s time to dissect the song itself and why it’s so great. As much as I adore Loser Geek Whatever, it could’ve easily been any other song that threw me down a rabbit hole and that I could’ve latched onto- no, wait, it couldn’t have been, because Loser Geek Whatever is unique in that way. I did about a year of music at A-Level so I’m gonna delve into some of the technical aspects here too. I’m chronicling this mostly for myself so I am going as deep as I see fit because this song is a treasure hiding yet more treasures. If you happen to love Loser Geek Whatever as much as I do, this’ll be your goldmine.

So, grab a snack my fellow fans, because here’s a comprehensive list of everything to love about Loser Geek Whatever in roughly chronological order. Long post incoming:

The song starts off strong from the first millisecond - I don’t know what instrument(s) they used but just listen to the single version again - that opening chord blares at you like a siren. It calls for your attention, screaming this is incredibly important, and indeed it is. That chord, an F chord, has no indication as to whether it’s major or minor - it’s just the tonic F with its dominant C and another tonic F above it. In other words, it’s unresolved, it hangs in the air. From a narrative standpoint, Jeremy is at a crossroads, torn between giving into the SQUIP or staying loyal to Michael, and the music paints this. It has the same effect on both the single and album versions - I always hold my breath as it holds, it’s the gap in this crucial transition for Jeremy between who he was and him becoming something he isn’t.

To continue the thread of musical painting, the melody line contains the accidental E-flat which doesn’t belong to the key of F major. This once again illustrates Jeremy’s uncertainty, but there’s more - the whole introduction is a slowed-down version of the Apocalypse of the Damned theme from Two Player Game, arguably the point in the show when Michael and Jeremy’s relationship was at its strongest. Jeremy’s recalling everything he had with Michael, but the slowing down of the melody shows hesitancy, along with highlighting the accidental E flat. These latter points of course aren’t unique to Loser Geek Whatever - they’re also in the section of Upgrade that twins with Loser Geek Whatever. I’m just laying out why they work so well. 

I’m glad I waited until after I saw the show in London to finish writing this - I’m something of a Loser Geek Whatever purist, as made clear by my ire at them cutting it in half and tacking the end of Upgrade back on for the London version. I still enjoyed the show in London though and I’m glad I knew about this change ahead of time, because they did change something about the song that I think really worked - they added two notes in the bass to each bar, like heartbeats, which once again signifies Jeremy’s uncertancy and the importance of this major turning point.

It’s been firmly established by this point that Jeremy is a loser and he knows it. He doesn’t want to be a hero, he just wants to survive, but there’s a difference between that and feeling “inconsequential.” Jeremy is basically admitting that, in his eyes, it doesn’t matter to the world or anyone except Michael if he even survives or not. He’s not just a loser, or a geek - he’s a whatever, with no one caring who he is. And he’s felt this way for years - since middle school began. He’s now in his Junior year of high school - that’s five years of being in this state of being unnoticed at best and picked on at worst. He’s “the one who’s left out”. With just one little line, hell, one word, we’re given more layers as to why he so badly wants to change that.

Moving from the first verse to the chorus, we start to see Jeremy’s attitude shift, from being sad to being angry - he’s frustrated, resentful that he’s spent so long in this state (A lot of people have made similar comparisons about Will Roland’s Jeremy as a whole in relation to Will Connolly’s Jeremy and I think this song exemplifies that). He doesn’t deserve to feel this horrible - not now and certainly not for the next two years until he and Michael can be “cool in college.” When you think about it, what options does he really have? He could either give into the SQUIP or reject it and go back to where he was, still miserable and lonely. Yes, he has Michael and Michael is an amazing, kind, loyal best friend, but as many have pointed out, he’s also dismissive of Jeremy’s feelings of inadequacy whether he means to be or not, which only made Jeremy feel more lonely. Should Jeremy just expect to feel better about himself at some point before college? He’s waited for years, why would that happen at any other point?

More layers baby! Second verse, Jeremy rants on about his father’s advice about following his own instincts and how it’s gotten him nowhere he wants to be. Come to think of it, Michael’s advice about staying the same and waiting for their environment to change can be seen as similar - it’s arguably easier for Michael as he has two loving mothers who undoutably give him plenty of positive reinforcement. Meanwhile, Jeremy’s mother has left them, which likely instilled further feelings of not being good enough, and his father has fallen apart to the point where he can’t even put pants on, let alone step up to take care of his son, meaning that Jeremy likely isn’t going to take his advice very seriously, especially after it’s failed him so thoroughly. But to Jeremy, the problem isn’t necessarily the advice itself - it’s that it’s being followed by him. So now he’s going to turn around and put his life and every choice in something else’s hands, even if - no, especially if it goes against his own instincts. It still doesn’t feel quite right, it “feels bizarre”, but it’s getting him somewhere, so it has to be right in the most meaningful capacity, and to Jeremy, the “most meaningful capacity” is any capacity that isn’t his own.

Now the best line - the one about being a “normal, handsome guy”. Let’s get this on the table - Jeremy is trans. Will Roland himself said that he often thinks of the show’s young trans fans when he sings that line. Naturally, societal transphobia plus gender dysphoria would have a pretty catestrophic effect on the self-esteem of any growing teenager, even more so one in Jeremy’s situation for the reasons I’ve just laid out. He’s probably missed out on a lot of things that “normal” guys take for granted, with most girls barely looking in his direction, let alone in any positive manner. Jeremy’s own sexuality aside, it’s mostly society, and the SQUIP by extension, that considers scoring with girls to be a “manly” or masculine activity, and through Brooke treating him as dateable material, Jeremy feels better about fitting into society’s rules of how a man should be and act. This isn’t the only reason he feels good about Brooke finding him attractive, of course, but it’s just another layer that Jeremy sees more value in conforming to how society says he should be rather than in how he actually is.

I know I just said that the last point was about the best line, but honestly, there’s more than one best line in this song. The bridge is where we start to see Jeremy’s language becoming more technologically inclined - “prompt”, “command” and “bandwidth” are all terms used in computing and used to show how Jeremy is likening himself, or his intentions, to a computer, effectivly merging himself and his SQUIP into one entity and Jeremy willingly giving over his own individuality.

And HERE, we get to the kicker. I’ve talked a lot about layers throughout this whole essay, about themes and motifs building on each other. Jeremy is essentially peeling back the layers of his own situation and only finding reason after deeper reason after deeper reason as to why he should follow the SQUIP and not be a loser anymore. Now, he hits the core, the seed, the crux of it all - “The problem has ALWAYS BEEN ME!!” Everything he is, everything that makes Jeremy Heere himself, is and has always been wrong. This line is a gut punch and EVERYONE knows it - the performer always takes a few seconds to let it sink in before continuing.

As an aside, I wanna mention the differences between the single and the album versions of the bridge. The album version starts of quieter after the vocalising of the last chorus, and builds up to the climactic final line, while the single version is loud all the way through but gets even louder and punchier at the end. Both are good, but I personally prefer the single version - the album sounds like Jeremy is broken and desperate and on the verge of tears as he reaches his inevitable but ugly realisation. The single is also desperate, but it’s pleading and all-consuming and a THOUSAND times more powerful, I get chills every time I hear it. (Side note, the London version starts of loud like the single and ends quieter like the album, almost as if Jeremy is reluctant to admit what he truly believes about himself, and it’s easy to see why, it’s a damn harsh condemnation).

“Take a breath and get prepared” - Jeremy sings to both himself and the audience. The first half has been heavy and we need a breather. Yet just before he goes over the brink, he has second thoughts. His conscience, his own voice in his head, breaks through, warning him that his choice will have consequences for other people than himself. People will get hurt - Michael most of all. Not just by Jeremy ditching him; here’s something else - when Jeremy is the “cool dude”, he might end up being a bully to those who are losers just like him, cutting them down just as Rich’s SQUIP made Rich do to him. Who would be the perfect target for Jeremy’s potential future bullying? His former best friend and fellow loser, Michael Mell. It’s pretty damn likely that if the SQUIP hadn’t optic nerve blocked Michael, it would’ve told Jeremy to pick on him, and even though Michael has ostensibly been pretty good at brushing these things off before, the takedowns would hurt a LOT more coming from his former best friend - and we know this because IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS, granted without the SQUIP influencing Jeremy directly (also let’s just clear up that just because the SQUIP wasn’t on doesn’t mean its influence on Jeremy hadn’t disappeared - that’s not how emotional abuse works).

Twelve years of loyal friendship, of borderline unhealthy codependency … can he throw all that away for Christine, a girl he’s thus admired from afar and is only just starting to get to know as a person? Moreover, even if Jeremy gets Christine, what about himself, who he wants to be? He just wants to be something other than himself because he thinks that anything is better but … what? The cool dude, the hero or … whatever. He’ll take anything because he’s that desperate, but what about when he gets it? Will he finally be satisfied? Will it be worth failing his one real friend, an act so scummy that the only way he could possibly stomach it would be to somehow pretend he hadn’t done it?

But none of those questions matter to Jeremy now - he’s fully gaslit into believing that every thought and inclination that comes from himself is wrong and shouldn’t be followed. He needs to sync up with the SQUIP and the rest of the world and mute his own defective inner voice. When you think about it, the relationship between Jeremy and the SQUIP is one of the most intense abusive relationships ever put to fiction - we’ve seen emotional abuse and brainwashing before, but here, Jeremy is literally preventing from THINKING the wrong way because the SQUIP can detect his every thought. See what I mean when I say that doesn’t go away when the SQUIP turns off for a few minutes?!

Throughout all of this is the undercurrent of Jeremy wanting to get better. He’s been trying so hard for so long to have a better life, but nothing has worked. Not listening to his dad, not trying to get closer to Christine through theatre, and certainly not listening to Michael’s advice to wait until college. Why should he resign himself to even more time being miserable with no end in sight? After all, being cool in college isn’t a guarantee. After all he’s been through, it’s his turn to finally be cool, after an eternity of being someone he doesn’t want to be.

Another best line in this song - “I’m Player One.” As mentioned a few times in the show before, like in the Broadway upgrade, Jeremy feels lower even in his friendship with Michael - he’s Player 2 as the more experienced Michael is Player 1. As previously established, Jeremy admits that he’s “not the one who the story’s about.” Now he’s ready to finally take control of his life, be the main character and have good things happen to him, and that means cutting out Michael, the old Player 1. The irony here is that Jeremy is less like Player 1 and more like a video game avatar. In reality, the SQUIP is Player 1, making Jeremy do whatever it demands of him.

More best lines! The slew of insults towards the end serves not just as yet more gut punches for the audience but as a major catharsis for Jeremy - It’s telling that the insults get harsher as his rant goes on, from the “weirdo” to the “weakling freak” to the “failure” to the climactic “please don’t speak”. He’s unloading everything that he’s been carrying over the years, ripping out the bullets that have been embedded in his skin and re-opening all the wounds in the process, but he’s done with the pain and he’ll never ever let himself be hurt like that again, if he follows the SQUIP.

I’ve made a whole post about the significance of the best line “Please Don’t Speak” before so I’ll mostly be repeating a lot of what I said there because it’s been a while since that post and because I want to. Who would’ve said that to Jeremy? Probably not Rich or Chloe, it’s not like them. It had to have come from an adult in a position of authority that could’ve commanded Jeremy not to speak like that - one that apparently did so enough times for him to internalise those words like he did the others. (Even worse if it was more than one adult ...). Out of all of the insults, it’s easy to see how that can easily be the most scarring out of all of them - how would an adult let a child know they’re inadequate? By silencing them. Making it clear that their expression of self not only means nothing, but should be forcibly avoided. Put like that, it makes it much easier to see how and why Jeremy fell under the SQUIP’s influence so easily - telling it was hardly different from authority figures he’s experienced before. In even more sad irony, as Jeremy claims that he’s breaking free and letting go of his past as the “please don’t speak”, he’s just walking right into another, similar trap that he can’t easily escape from. The SQUIP literally vocal cord blocks him during The Play - if that doesn’t say “Please don’t speak,” what does?!

The climax is growing! The music shifts into the relative minor as Jeremy fully gives in to the SQUIP’s evil influence. This is the point of no return, the point where he’s literally being surrounded and overtaken - if you’ve seen this on stage or even just a bootleg, you’ll know what I mean, when the lighting shifts and the circuitry start closing in around him, it’s wonderful. The bass ascends, Jeremy declares once and for all that HE IS NOT THE LOSER, THE GEEK, OR WHATEVER, and he never will be again! As some have pointed out, the sequence of notes on the final “again” is the same as at the end of Be More Chill Part 2, except the last note is different. In BMC part 2, it goes further down by a minor third, but in Loser Geek Whatever, it rises up to the same note it started with. This foreshadows Jeremy’s fate - that he will eventually overcome the SQUIP and that he still has it in him to do so. Man, let me just point out how amazing that last belt is - it lasts for a full 15 seconds in a really high range and takes a LOT of control to bring it back up to the high B without breaking. This song really was written for Will Roland - his voice can pull it off seamlessly, but other actors and understudies have had to find workarounds. No disrespect to them, it’s a damn hard song and it kicks ass all the way through. Scott Folan apparently had trouble with it too, but on the day I happened to see him, he pulled it off without breaking, so props to him!

Overall, Loser Geek Whatever is my favourite song in Be More Chill and not just for its sentimental value to myself. It’s a genuinely deep, complex piece that earned every second of its six minutes. Loser Geek Whatever is definitely the missing piece the show needed - not only is it Jeremy’s solo song, it’s also his “I Want” song and, in a way, his 11 o’clock number all in one, as he’s having a major epiphany after going on a journey, albeit only half of one. It’s easy to see why Joe Iconis dubbed this his anti-Defying Gravity, but it’s also easy to draw parallels to No Good Deed - how both Jeremy and Elphaba vow to become something that society is forcing upon them rather than what they are, even if that society’s will is objectively worse for them. Loser Geek Whatever deserves a thousand times the recognition it has and I still wonder to this day what the fandom reaction would’ve been if it had been in the original soundtrack.

So, that was it. I’m not sorry it was this long.

TL;DR: Loser Geek Whatever is wonderful and anyone who doesn’t think so is wrong.

[jeremy-heere-is-underrated]

Jeremy comforting a s/o with parent issues (basically a rant with fictional comfort)(super self indulgent)

Jeremy is running to try to catch up to you as you walk to the little garden area near your house that you guys like to hang out in.

"Hon, hey its me, you looked down today and you skipped drama club. You ok?" Jeremy questions concerned about you.

Oh ship, what can I say to not make Jer concerned, you pondered. Settling for "Yeah, I'm Fine." You try to lie to him, not wanting to bother Jer or pour all of your issues on him.

"No one who is fine says their fine, can you please tell me what's wrong or is there any way I can help you?" He inquires being the bean who he is. (Note to self: learn how to write)

You sigh, starting off while he patiently listens and is sitting next to you on the grass, "Well you remember how my school picture was cringy..." (I promise this is going somewhere)

Jeremy seems to be thinking as you take a minute to try and relax and explain the situation articulately. "Oh yeah, didn't you wear that adorable Pikachu hoodie with the ears on the hood?"

"Yeah, so after 2 and a half months mom finally got around to looking at my student i.d and demanded I get those picture retakes because my photo looked ugly..." you pause for a second breath hitching when you say ugly, this not being the first or 1000th occasion she's said that. "So she said to pick out a nice-ish outfit so I picked my leather jacket and that corgi Yoda t-shirt, you know the one. It says 'corgi I am' and I asked how it looked and she started yelling at me about how I was being selfish, ungrateful, rude, and only thinking of myself and always ignoring her feelings and trying to be a edgy teen who only thinks of themselves and has no regards for others. I... I haven't been able to get through a conversation without her words playing on repeat for all of today, wh.. wha... J... Jer, what did I do to make her hate me?" Voice breaking at the end you manage to say barely audibly.

Jeremy's heart broke at the end of your explanation, having had issues with his own mom he knows how much a parent can hurt mentally. He hugs you, embracing you within a hug that was full of emotions, shared experiences, and security, passionate in the way of a couple who hasn't been able to ever give affection, all the emotions needing to be expressed in the current moment content with being quiet as they have their moment.

"I know it hurts, I know it feels like no one's on your side, the world against happiness, parents don't realize the damage their actions have. Your not being selfish by dressing the way you love too, or being who you are. Does she know about how much change you've gone through, how much you've taken care of yourself because she busy, how you've become so much healthier mentally, how last summer you, well had to deal with a lot. You should never feel bad who being who you are and she should not be able to take your expression away from you. Also how can you be a edgy teen, you still have purrito socks and a dear evan hansen necklace saying that things do get better, 'you will be found' its literly saying that the world can be a great place and that things will look up. Also she doesn't hate you as much as your brain tells you so, is she a good parent? No. Does she hate you, no. I know it hurts but your here (heere) and look around, it's just us (the musical references are a dime a dozen over heere) and the park. You've made it through life this far, you can get through this. Also if you need to get away from your moms house then we can set up the guest room for you, it might be a battle to get dad to regularly wear pants, he's better about it but still... oh sorry, I'm getting off topic but my house if open if you need a place to go."

"I might take you up on that if things get worse."

A/N: sorry I was gone for so long, school got overwhelming and I had to try to focus on that. Also if you ever need to chat my messages are always open. Feel free to send me asks or requests!

October 22 2021

[paladin-lynx]

SquipJere Week 2020, Day 2: Virtual Reality

@squipjerebmc’s SquipJere Week 2020 Day 2: Virtual Reality

Ships Involved: The SQUIP x Jeremy Heere (Technical Difficulties/Squipemy/Squeremy/JereSquip/SquipJere)

Setting: Canonverse, set in the time interval between “Loser Geek Whatever” and “Halloween”.

Trigger/Content Warnings: Non-graphic mentions of pornography and masturbation

It seemed that even with an artificially intelligent Tic Tac in his head, life could still be awfully boring sometimes.

When the SQUIP wasn’t having him practice his posture or coaching him on how to ‘think cooler thoughts,’ Jeremy was pretty much left to his own devices. He had new friends that he could potentially call up to hang out with – he had taken an indefinite rain check on Rich’s invite to come over – but he still didn’t feel like he knew them well enough to be alone with them, and his usual Player One was out of the picture for right now. It was different when Jeremy was at school; in a way, he felt like once he left this house and stepped through the doors of Middleborough High, he was a different person. Sure, the SQUIP was trying to keep his habits and interests consistent regardless of where he went, but it was still much too tempting to recede back into himself when he was in the safety of his own home.

But there was only so much he could do when he was by himself. It wasn’t like he wanted to spend all his time doing homework and researching the newest trends so that he could stay ‘in the now’ – or was it ‘in the know?’ – and his games started to feel repetitive after a while and he wasn’t about to spend the money to buy new ones. And he couldn’t watch porn without the SQUIP knowing, of course. There were a handful of times he wondered if he should ask his father if he wanted to do something, even just watch a movie, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle seeing his father waddling around in just his robe and underwear. It was a constant reminder of why he’d gotten his SQUIP in the first place.

And so here he was, sprawled on his bed and staring up at his ceiling. The SQUIP had made him take down the glow-in-the-dark stars that he and Michael had stuck up there God knew how many years ago, deeming them too juvenile for a high school junior. And some of them had only been hanging on by one point, so maybe it was time to peel them off anyway. Jeremy had woken up with the cheap little stars littered on his bed and carpet too many times before.

He let out a long-suffering sigh, deciding that counting the dings and marks above him was better than just being alone with his thoughts. When he thought too much, he just ended up feeling sorry for himself.

Of course, then he remembered that he did, in fact, have a supercomputer in his head.

He had hardly even opened his mouth to summon the SQUIP before its physical form fizzled into existence next to the bed, standing over him. It raised an eyebrow. “What can I do for you, Jeremy?”

Of course it knew he had wanted to speak with it. Jeremy breathed out through his nose, looking up at the face above him. “Entertain me, SQUIP.”

It huffed, rolling its eyes and shaking its head. Jeremy would expect such movement to mess up anyone’s hair, but of course the SQUIP’s stayed perfectly styled. “I’m a Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor, Jeremy. My infinite wealth of data and my connection to your mind is meant to be used to help you achieve your most difficult goals in life. I’m not a toy for you to play with.”

Jeremy pouted. “Well, I’m bored, so my goal right now is to be entertained.”

The SQUIP frowned at him in return. “That isn’t a difficult goal. You have plenty to entertain yourself with.”

“You won’t let me get off, which is how I normally keep myself busy.”

“Because you need a sexual partner that isn’t your own hand. And you need to get your libido in check regardless.”

“Well then, what do you suggest?”

“Call up Brooke.”

“Eh…”

“You have all these video game systems and just the other day you were telling me how much you love indulging in nostalgia.”

“Not feelin’ up to games right now.”

“Watch TV? Or a movie?”

“Mm…”

The SQUIP sighed, rubbing a hand over its face. “Honestly, dear, there are so many things you could do, and you’re asking me to find something to cure your boredom?”

Jeremy flashed a bashful smile. “Yup.” He knew he might end up getting on the SQUIP’s nerves – circuits? – if he pushed like this, but he couldn’t help it. The SQUIP had eased up a little in its lessons because Jeremy had been doing well, so he felt like he had a little room to argue. Besides, there was something oddly satisfying about seeing the SQUIP at a loss.

Of course, as he thought that, the SQUIP leaned down a little closer, narrowing those sharp eyes. “Are you trying to stump me, Jeremy? Because I’ll have you know that that’s an impossible task.”

And just like that, Jeremy felt his stomach flip and his streak of confidence faded away. He swallowed the lump in his throat and steeled himself, shaking his head. “I just want something to do, come on.”

The SQUIP sighed, straightening back up. It tilted its head, and Jeremy could feel the familiar, albeit barely noticeable, buzz at the back of his mind as the SQUIP analyzed the situation.

Finally, it blinked back to awareness and extended a hand to Jeremy, who flinched slightly on instinct.

“Come on. Get up,” it commanded.

Jeremy furrowed his brow. “What?”

“Up.” The SQUIP frowned and reached to instead take Jeremy’s hand itself. The SQUIP’s hand was cool to the touch and Jeremy knew that there wasn’t really anything there and that the SQUIP was just manipulating his nerves and puppeting his limbs as he was pulled to his feet.

Jeremy tried to ignore the way his cheeks warmed as he awkwardly stood there, the SQUIP still gripping his hand. “Um, okay. M’up. Now what?”

It smiled at him. “Close your eyes, love.”

Jeremy bit his lip, hesitating, but after a moment he obeyed and his eyes fluttered shut.

“Good. Now, I want you to tell me a place. Any place, real or fictional.”

Jeremy’s brow creased. “Why?”

The SQUIP tutted at him. “Always with the questions. You wanted me to entertain you, and I need you to trust me. So tell me a place.”

Jeremy wasn’t entirely certain where this was going – the SQUIP had a bad habit of being overly explicit with some of its plans and then so incredibly vague about others – but he did try to think of a place. But with how bored he’d been, he wasn’t feeling terribly creative.

“I dunno. Uh, Hogwarts.” He could practically feel the SQUIP’s disappointment in his nerdy answer and he scrambled to defend himself. “C-c’mon, Harry Potter is super popular and mainstream!”

“Not with how Mrs. Rowling has been behaving herself recently. But I digress. Keep your eyes closed.”

Jeremy pouted but he listened, keeping his eyes shut. He was tempted to open them just to spite the SQUIP but he refrained, curiosity getting the better of him. He could feel the SQUIP poking and prodding at his brain – it wasn’t painful, but the sensation of something manipulating his thoughts and senses would never not be weird – and at one point it even felt like his eyes were itchy. But he still obeyed the order given to him and waited.

“Alright. You can open them now.”

Warily, Jeremy cracked open one eye before they both flew open and his jaw dropped. Still holding the SQUIP’s hand, he found himself staring at none other than the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Every little detail was there, from the floating candles to the grand windows to the Houses’ tables. Despite him being positive it was the middle of the day, it was clearly nighttime outside and the firelight was the only thing allowing him to see.

“H-holy shit,” he mumbled. “Is this…is this like virtual reality?”

The SQUIP chuckled. “I’d say it’s better, considering it’s right in your mind rather than through some headset or screen.” It waved a hand to gesture around them. “Not feeling so bored anymore, are you?”

“Definitely not!” Jeremy grinned, already thinking about all the places he could ask the SQUIP to send him to. He knew it was nothing more than a hallucination and the SQUIP had made him see plenty of things before that weren’t really there, but he was too in awe to care that it wasn’t real. He pulled his hand away from the SQUIP.

He could feel the SQUIP frown and reach out for him again. “Jeremy—”

But the boy was already racing forward, eager to explore. However, as he hurried down the aisle between two of the tables, he yelped as he slipped on something, arms waving wildly as he tried to find his balance.

As he thought he was about to tumble backwards, a pair of strong arms caught his waist and he found himself staring up, red in the face, at the SQUIP.

The SQUIP let out another chuckle. “There’s only so much I can control,” it explained, motioning to the floor. When Jeremy looked down, there was a sock standing out against the dark floor of the hall, and he realized that must have been what he had slipped on.

“Oh…Right, we’re actually still in my room,” he murmured, gaze swiveling back up the SQUIP, who was still holding him in what was almost a dip. He just blinked dumbly up at the supercomputer, mouth too dry for him to ask to be let go.

The SQUIP broke into a little smirk and pulled Jeremy back to his feet, although its arms didn’t move from their place around the boy’s waist. “I didn’t think this hall would fit the moniker of ‘great’ if it was reduced to the size of your bedroom, so there are limits to where you can move around. But even if you can’t tell where the illusion ends, I can…”

It raised one hand to snap its fingers, and Jeremy flinched as music flooded the hall from seemingly nowhere. He blinked at the SQUIP yet again, confused, before his blush returned full-force as the SQUIP took one of his hands in its own, the other settled against his hip. “Wh—”

“Come on, Jeremy, I know you had to learn how to slow dance with your mother for your Bar Mitzvah. Just follow my lead.”

Stunned, Jeremy mindlessly moved his free hand to the SQUIP’s shoulder. He decided not to linger on the mention of his mother and he also decided not to point out that he’d been taught to lead in that dance, not follow – although perhaps that didn’t matter because that dance back then had barely lasted two minutes and Jeremy had always been better as a follower than a leader anyway. Always the Player Two, although that was hopefully beginning to change.

And so he let the SQUIP lead, and soon enough they were sweeping through the Great Hall, and only after a solid minute did Jeremy notice that the House tables were gone, leaving them more room. The SQUIP was rather fluid in its movements for a machine – then again, the SQUIP wasn’t your average machine – and it led Jeremy in such a way that he realized it must be making sure he didn’t trip over or bump into anything that was actually in his bedroom that he couldn’t see. Unsure of what he was supposed to do in his role, he ended up watching their feet until he felt an unseen force gently tipping his chin up, making him gasp softly.

He expected the SQUIP to make fun of him like it so often did, but instead it just gave him what he dared to call a fond smile. “Come on, dear. Have some fun. This is all for you.” He felt his muscles start to loosen up a bit and a wave of calm washed over him. “That’s it. Enjoy yourself. You wanted me to entertain you, didn’t you?”

And with the SQUIP’s mental nudges, Jeremy did start to get more into it. He was no ballroom expert by any means, but with the SQUIP guiding him, he was able to follow along easily enough after having a few moments to adjust. Soon he was laughing and at one point the SQUIP even made it look like they were wearing matching suits, and Jeremy tried not to focus on the fact that the SQUIP looked absolutely dashing in a suit.

Of course, even if the thought was fleeting, the SQUIP caught it and broke into a small grin. “You clean up quite nicely, too, Jeremiah.”

“Oh, don’t ruin it by calling me that,” Jeremy protested, the tips of his ears feeling hot. The SQUIP laughed and gave him a twirl, and before he could really process what was happening, Jeremy felt himself fall back and he was suddenly in his room again, laying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Still no glow-in-the-dark stars.

“What?” he breathed out, hurriedly sitting up.

The SQUIP was sitting in his desk chair, back to its normal sleek outfit, smiling. “I figured that was enough excitement for one day. Don’t think I forgot that you have an English essay to write.”

Jeremy groaned, flopping back on the bed. “That wasn’t even that long!”

“Wasn’t it?”

Jeremy’s eyebrows furrowed and he leaned over to check his clock radio, surprised to see that indeed quite a bit of time had passed. It had only really felt like a few minutes, but maybe that was another trick on his mind.

Still, he frowned over at the SQUIP. “I don’t wanna write my essay,” he whined.

The SQUIP let out a soft laugh and sauntered over, brushing a hand against Jeremy’s cheek and tilting his head up to look at it. “If you do some work, perhaps we can have some more fun later. Hm?”

Jeremy wasn’t sure if the SQUIP meant for that to sound as suggestive as it did, but then again, the SQUIP was in his brain and knew exactly how he’d take a statement like that. Which was how it knew that he’d listen and get to his feet.

As Jeremy grumpily sat down at his desk, the SQUIP smirked at him. “If you get the whole thing done tonight, maybe I’ll even consider wearing a suit again.”

Jeremy’s cheeks burned. “Fuck off.”

He got to work.

[cleverbroadwayurl]

Conspiracy (Jeremy Heere x Reader Pt. 25)

Song: Conspiracy by Paramore

Word Count: 3761

Need to Catch Up? Check out my masterlist! 

A/N: Oh my god I finally did it. I’m so sorry this took months but that’s because my courses right now are really hard and take about 8 hours a week of studying per class (aka 40 hours a week of studying total). But I’m on break right now, so please enjoy! I will try to have more out soon! 

Taglist: @macbookpro-hard-drive​ @catatonic-kuragin​ @retrogarden​ @be-more-heidi-hansen​ @scarsonthecuffsofyourjeans​ @stargirl-murphy​ @heytheredee-lilah​ 

Trigger Warnings: LANGUAGE, Angst, mentions of an abusive boyfriend, mentions of abuse, Jeremy crying, implication of stalking, implication of assault, IF I MISSED ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE LET ME KNOW

Jeremy can feel his phone vibrate, expecting a text from you, telling him that you’d made it home okay. He can feel a sense of surprise go across his face at the contact, and even more so at the message over and over again. 

Rich: We need to talk. 

Jeremy walked into his room and fell onto his bed, hands gripping his phone as he did so. Subconsciously, he’d closed the door, and was secure in his room, head still reeling, face still pale as he remembered the look you gave him on his doorstep. That wasn’t a comfort, and neither was this text from Rich, which spiked his anxiety tenfold. He didn’t think that was possible, images of you accidentally not paying attention for a split second and losing you forever plaguing his mind. He’d been so close to losing you before, but this…was a cruel act of fate as you stepped away from him again.

Laying on his bed, Jeremy got another text from Rich, his phone the only sound vibrating into the space. He reluctantly looked at his phone, the notification as haunting as the first one, each one seeming more panicked than the last. Jeremy could feel shivers crackle down his spine, hands not feeling like his own as he opened his phone with a fingerprint scanner—thank god Apple had incorporated that.

His read receipts were on, he always forgot about that. So Rich knew that he had read the last text, and now the one that came, and the ones that he assured were coming soon.

Rich: dude, can we talk? Just for a second. I promise I’ll be fast

Jeremy’s hands are already uneasy as he types, unsure how the letters are falling in place correctly. He’s seeing the motion, knows it’s happening, but doesn’t seem to place that it’s his hands doing the movement.

Jeremy: Uhh sure, what’s up?

He regrets it. Jeremy knows he’s in no state to even listen to another person’s problems right now, visions of so much passing through his brain in a flash. What if your ex texted you? What if you can’t get home safely, but were too embarrassed to tell him? What if you were parked at some gas station, just crying your eyes out? The images pass quickly, but somehow, Rich can type faster. It feels like a distraction at this point, but Jeremy didn’t need this kind of placement of focus. He needed something to relax him, something to reassure him.

Rich: Do you have a second to like…talk? On the phone? Typing is weird.

Jeremy sighs, but nothing is still. His heart is pounding so loud that Jeremy can hear its echo in his ears, legs stiff as he leans his back against the wall, sitting up to physically prepare him for this conversation that was heavily contributing to the sweat on his palms, unable to focus on anything.

Rich is quick, Jeremy is still fascinated by that. Maybe he was just moving that much slower, mind teasing daydreams turning into nightmares within frames of them starting. The phone is still vibrating, and it feels like it’s been buzzing for eternities. That was enough confirmation. Jeremy was just working through problems as if he were running in water, feet not on the ground. Finally, he feels the courage to pick up, to say something, even though he’s sure that his voice will shake. “Hello?”

“Jeremy, thank fuck. This has been on my mind for weeks and I literally don’t have anyone else who would know what the fuck is going on right now.”

Right away, Jeremy can sense that Rich is in trouble. The ramble has Jeremy’s mind resorting to nervousness, but not the healthy amount. This has been going on for days, it’s clear as Rich continues speaking, not seeming to breathe between sentences, the enhanced amount of “fuck”s, voice hoarse with each passing syllable—this is bad, even for Rich.

“What’s up?”

“Oh my god there was this girl here in Metuchen, someone you’ve never met or seen before, and I swear I didn’t do anything, but like, I don’t even know where to begin, you know? Fuck Jeremy, this is awful, I feel like I haven’t slept in days or slept too much and all I can think about is her, even though we barely even fucking talked and I have no idea what’s she’s up to or if she got home okay—”

“Get to the point, Rich.”

Jeremy didn’t mean to snap, but his eyes had glanced over his digital alarm clock, noticing that you should’ve gotten home a while ago. The reminder that Rich spit into existence didn’t help his case either. Jeremy could feel the lump in his throat form, breaths getting shaky. You had been in such trouble, in and out of reality, maybe you’d been followed home by that shitty little red speedster, which could only remind Jeremy of almost a year ago, lights flashing, nights in sterile rooms, eyes falling into sleep, FRIENDS in the background, his fucking blue sweater, and now everything is crumbling, he just lost—

“Jeremy, you good?”

“Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Can you say that again? My dad called me for something and I couldn’t focus.”

It was a lie, but an easy cover-up. He knew that his dad wouldn’t mind being the bad guy when Jeremy needed an out. He’d mentioned that when Jeremy had gone off to college if he was ever pressured into drinking or going out or some other thing.  

“Uhh yeah. So on the night of Brooke’s backyard party, I split early because…because I had previous commitments. But I was out of gas so I stopped at the Wawa off of the I-95. I went inside the Wawa to grab some stuff and I accidentally bumped into his girl—the one I mentioned who isn’t from around here. She mentioned that she was alone, her friend abandoned her at this Wawa, and I couldn’t just leave her alone, right?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Right. So, I took her home—”

“Rich”

“I promise I didn’t sleep with her! She was lonely and needed a place to stay, and I swear, I’m not like that anymore. Haven’t been for years, not since the SQUIP thing. It just brings up too many…yeah. But I got her stuff for the next day until she could get on her flight in a few days, Christine agreed to see a show with her, Waitress, I think. She posted on Instagram?”

“Christine? Yeah. I didn’t know you knew that girl.”

“Yeah. She’s my…friend. But Christine really likes her, and I think they had a really good time.”

“That’s good.” Although the conversation is going, Jeremy’s been watching time tick past, mind just blurring over each word, grazing the surface and not searching for anything deeper. He swipes down to see his notifications—nothing yet. It’s at times like these that Jeremy wished you’d let him see your location. He understood that it was absolutely an invasion of privacy, but—no that was selfish. Maybe you’d gotten caught up with someone, or maybe you’d already gotten home. Then why didn’t you text him? Jeremy’s fists ball up his comforter, the colon on his clock blinking with each second, and he’s practically counting each one. Rich becomes white noise to his worry, face still pale as the room gets darker.

“I don’t know—dude, it’s stupid, but—I think. I think I might be a little in love with her.”

Jeremy’s eyes immediately widened, and suddenly the world gets put into hyperspeed. “What?!”

“But she’s from Florida, and—”

“Rich, you’re in love with her?”

“I don’t know!”

“Shit, dude. I get it.”

“That’s what I mean. You are the only person who gets it, at least that I know of.”

“Yeah…I guess I am.”

“Exactly.”

“But now she’s so far away, and—”

“You feel like you can’t focus or sleep.”

“Yeah.”

“Rich, dude, you gotta talk to her.”

“Hypocrite.” It’s a laugh, a joke, something that Jeremy knows hasn’t happened for days. He recalls every night he spent in his dorm, Michael sleeping soundly, as Jeremy tosses and turns, mind racing and hoping for a sign that you’re okay. Dusk begins to turn into twilight, and he hopes that you’re okay. God, he’s about to be sent into that state now, just from you not being home, that something is wrong, he knows it.

“Fair.” It’s emotionless as it comes from Jeremy, realizing the reality of everything. He was going to have to cut Rich off to make sure you were okay. A life was…as much as he hated to say it, more important than this.

“But I can’t talk to her. What would I do after that?”

“You could go long distance.”

“I met her for two days, Jeremy.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ve also heard long distance is hard even for people who have been together for a year, so that might not…work.”

“Exactly.”

“You should still tell her, you know? She deserves to know, and it might feel good to get it off of your chest.”

“Yes, but she’s also in Florida.”

“Yeah, true.”

There’s another pause, and Jeremy can hear the blankets on the other end of the line shift. Rich was in bed, probably had been for days, and Jeremy’s heart sunk even more; this wasn’t like Rich. This was…bad.

But the preoccupation of you still haunted him. It was entirely possible that you’d been hunted down by your ex-boyfriend. Jeremy’s memories of “don’t drive to my house, he knows where I live—” ringing in his head. Your ex was forgetful in the way that all abusers are. They forget needs but remember the parts of your life to torment you, remember to lie in order to get you to feel crazy. He remembered where you lived after two times of ever going to your house, and that, even to Jeremy, was the most frightening thing that could be remembered. He opens messages, eyes flicking to your conversation, hoping for at least the typing symbol to appear.

Nothing. Thirty minutes, and nothing from you. His heart raced and palms began to sweat, shivers running down Jeremy’s spine. As much as Rich wasn’t himself, this wasn’t like you either. The shifting stopped, but the panic that forced Jeremy to enter a world of hurt was just beginning. He was about to end the call with Rich to see if you were okay, but then again, if you had gotten caught with your ex, and he called, that could also be bad, for reasons he didn’t want to think about. The light from the summer day drifted into nighttime, heat going down outside, but rising in Jeremy. Just as Jeremy is about to say something to Rich to get him to hang up, the line picks up.

“Hey Jeremy?”

“Yeah?” It came out harsh and rushed, but he really couldn’t help it. Panic controlled him now.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You uhh…seem really distant.”

He inhales, trying his best to maintain composure while talking to his friend. If he can’t do that, he might as well drive to your house and make sure that you got home safely, and if not, drive around town until you were found. “Oh uh, yeah. I just got back from a date with (y/n) and they uhh haven’t texted me that they got home safely. I’m starting to get really worried about it.”

“Starting? Dude, it’s been the entire time.” He pauses for a second, letting the sentence hang in open air. “But I’m sure they’re okay, it was just a what, 10-minute drive?”

Jeremy stiffened. A 10-minute drive right now could be death. You could’ve not seen a red light and collided with someone. You could have been run off of the road. The last moments you were here with distracted, unsure, and panicky. This was not just a drive home. It was a fatal quest. But he couldn’t tell Rich that, this wasn’t about Jeremy right now. This was about Rich and his Florida girl and his feelings towards her. He had to get the topic off of this. “Yeah.”

“How is everything with them, by the way? I’ve been uhh…talking a lot and I just realized that you really haven’t gotten the chance to say anything.”

“It’s going well. Just some…stuff happened on our date.” It wasn’t fair to you to go into what had happened. Yes, Rich knew, but he didn’t know everything that Jeremy had seen. He didn’t know about the sleepless nights, the apologies, the times you were so scared you could barely even make physical contact, the moments of guilt over something you had no control over. Rich knew the technicalities, Jeremy knew the truths.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to drive over there now?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m more worried about them.” It was nice of Rich to offer to drive from Elizabeth to Metuchen, but unnecessary. Plus, it would mean Jeremy would have to tell the whole truth, which was something that he wasn’t comfortable with. It was your story, one you’d mentioned in previous times that you were embarrassed about. You’d requested to not share photos with your ex, that you regretted every moment. You requested something like a restart, but this time, with a lot more boundaries, and unfortunately, experiences you’d like to forget.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Jeremy took another breath. The answer was yes, but he really wasn’t sure how to approach it. But since Rich knew, it might be better to have him on your side. You knew that Rich understood what was going on. It was in another private moment that you’d confessed when Rich witnessed your ex-boyfriend slam doors in your face, only to have Rich open them again, trying his hardest to not make it seem like he was flirting through trying to be friendly, but still be someone you could trust, even if he was just on the sidelines. It wasn’t like Rich was a stranger to you…and it might be good to spread it around that Jeremy’s partner can’t go to this grocery store. “We uhh went to that giant strip mall not too far from here.”

“That’s awesome, dude. Good date idea.”

“Yeah, and we like, both had a good time for the first part of it. But their mom wanted us to get her something from that grocery store over there. The really expensive one but has like…stuff you can’t get anywhere else?”

“At the end of the strip mall by Starbucks and Cold Stone?”

“Yeah.” Jeremy takes a shaky breath, dreading to relive the moments he’d just gone through with you and to have his mind completely blocked out by memory. Keeping calm was out of the question at this point, anger and worry boiling to Jeremy’s breaking point, tears threatening in his eyes to flood onto his face. “And their ex works there, Rich. We saw him two feet away from us. We booked it out of there after we paid, but I had to drive myself home Rich, in their car. They couldn’t even feel their hands. And now they aren’t texting me that they made it home safely and I’m—”

The text tone rings out, an apology from you finally in Jeremy’s hands.

You: Sorry about being so late, my mom wanted her groceries and I wanted to take a shower to try and calm down with some alone time with no disturbances.

Jeremy: Thank god you’re okay. You’re fine, please get some rest

Just as Jeremy sends the text back to you, a “FUCK” rings out from Rich’s side of the call. There’s an obvious door slam, but the shout still sounds distant from the phone. Rich must have gotten up.

“Rich? You okay?”

“Dude, I’m so sorry.”

“What for? I just got their text, you don’t need to leave, they just took a shower and forgot to text, which, they were really out of it, so I can’t really blame them for it.”

“Jeremy, you’re going to be really pissed.”

“What? Rich, no. I don’t have anything to be mad about.”

“Dude, no, you’re going to be mad. I don’t even know how to…explain this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jeremy, I knew.”

“Knew? What are you talking about?”

“I knew that he worked there, Jeremy, but—”

At this point, nothing gets through Jeremy’s ears. Worry turns to anger and before he can even think, Jeremy opens his mouth and starts yelling over Rich. No excuse, none, is okay to forget something this fucking big.

“What the fuck, Rich?”

“Dude—”

“No, really! What the FUCK, Richard?! What the fuck could make you forget about something like this?”

“Jer—”

“It’s their EX, Rich! The same fucking one who—”

“I know! Fuck dude, I already feel so fucking awful for forgetting.”

“Oh, you feel awful? How do you fucking think it felt to be standing there with my partner so fucking scared they can’t even move? How do you justify that, Richard? Huh?”

The line is quiet for a second, and Jeremy can hear himself breath, heart ringing in his ears. He can feel his entire body heave with every inhale, eyes blurry, hands sweaty. This entire thing could’ve been avoided if Rich hadn’t forgotten about a very important detail. For a minute or two, Jeremy thinks Rich hung up, tired of hearing him yell about this. But it was justified. This was a big fucking deal that could’ve ended in death. Did Rich just not see that or—

“Okay, Jeremy. You gotta fucking promise me that you’re going to take a second and calm down.”

“I don’t even—”

“Jeremiah Heere.”

Initially, Jeremy removed the phone from his ear, thinking his dad had called him downstairs for “using so much foul language”. It’s quiet in the house, however, as Jeremy’s dad usually calls more than once for him. The silence is enough to tell Jeremy that it was Rich who had suddenly sounded like a parent to him, calling him by his full name, something usually only his dad does. The snap back into reality hits him hard, causing an exhale, and a step back. “Alright.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“So, Florida girl.”

“Does she have a name?”

“I’m getting there. Florida girl. She had…there was a lot that happened, okay? It’s not really…my thing to tell, but just…trust me, dude, it was a lot. There was stuff with her best frie—former best friend and…it just really got to her, which is completely understandable, and we uhh saw Christine for a bit and that uhh helped, I thought at least, and then we went to go and get groceries since Gabe asked us to.” There’s a pause here, a deep breath passes through the speaker, almost as if Rich is too afraid to talk about the next part of the explanation. “We uhh…we got back to my place…and I put the truck in park…you remember the truck…and she-she like…”

Another pause hits, this time longer and shakier than the last. A good thirty seconds goes by of nothing, before Jeremy finally says something, seeing if he’s still on the line. “Rich?”

“Yeah, uhh…we basically made out before—y’know, I uh, had to stop her since…it’s…she-she didn’t want that. She was really upset…and uh, since that happened, it…it honestly just slipped my mind, Jeremy. I’m so sorry, dude.”

As much as reality hurt, Jeremy was sent back to the past. This was a case he was somewhat familiar with. When you came over that very first time, with you being so upset, there had been shared kisses, there had been implications of moving forward, but Jeremy stopped them. The second time it happened, you had stopped them from previous trauma. He didn’t move forward because it wasn’t healthy, and with you dissociating, it wasn’t consensual, even if it was just kissing. The concept, the scenario, everything was familiar to Jeremy. The act of wanting to feel something good and being so desperate for happiness was something you’d been trying to achieve over a year ago. Jeremy could understand how something so big slipped his mind.

That being said, historically, Rich has been one to use that to his advantage. Although things seemed better now, Jeremy was still unsure that it was just…left with that; that Rich had dropped any idea of taking advantage after this encounter. Sure, the SQUIP was gone, but Rich also sounded upset, so he could’ve…done it later. He had to say something, anything, to clear the air and make sure that things ended at least somewhat okay. If they didn’t, Jeremy would hang up. If they did…that would be a discussion for later.

“So, you didn’t…?”

“Fuck dude, no way. She just slept in my room and I took the couch. I wanted her to be safe…you know? That…would not have been safe.”

“Alright.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.”

“Are we…are we good?”

“I think so. Uhh sorry about—”

“No, Jeremy, you had every reason to be mad. I’m mad at myself for forgetting.”

“But you had—”

“Yeah.”

There’s another pause, the conversation starting to end as both ends of the call calm down. “Hey Jeremy?”

“Yeah?”

“I should uh, go. Gabe made food, and I have stuff I have to do, but I’m so sorry. I don’t think I can say it enough.”

“I accept the apology, Rich.”

“Thanks, Jeremy.”

“Of course. Let me know when you have a day free. I feel like…we need to catch up.”

“I’ll keep you posted.”

“Bye.”

“See ya.”

The call ends with a click, an hour and a half going by easily. He’d have to tell you what Rich said, of course, but the conversation should be in person so that Jeremy can express what was happening without being too telling of the mystery girl. Night is in full swing as Jeremy pulls out his phone, texting you again.

Jeremy: Are you feeling any better?

You: Yeah. Just playing Life is Strange. I’m so sorry about dinner

Jeremy: Don’t worry about it, okay? We can make it up a different day.

You: Are you sure?

Jeremy: Positive.

You: You’re so sweet, thank you so much for being there for me and not…getting really mad that we have to postpone it.

Jeremy: You can’t control something like that. I don’t expect you to. It’s one date. We can go whenever we both feel comfortable with it.

You: Call you tomorrow?

Jeremy: Yeah. Jeremy: I care about you a lot, so please get some rest, okay? Don’t stress about today, and if anything happens, I’m here.

You: Thank you, Jer. You too.

[kanene-yaaay]

Double-Cosplay Challenge

 Author’s note: Hello-ho-ho-ho!! My gosh, is it already 25th? I can’t believe in this, neither that the world is so small,  @scribbly-gigs, after all I’m your Squealing Santa too!! I really hope you enjoy this gift, because your prompt was absolutely adorable! I fell in love for its and aaaaa!  Best. Idea. Ever.

Okay, I got a little carried away! Enjoy the gift!

But, before the fanfic, I would like to give a specially thank to @ticklygiggles for hosting this wonderful event! It was an absolutely lovely experience, thanky you veryy much!! >w<)s2</i>

Warnings, fun facts, random things and stuff:

* This characters don’t belongs to me! Jeremy and Michael belongs to the musical Be More Chill.

* The song in the benning is Hide and Seek, a cover by Lizz Robinett

* This is a SFW Tickle-Fanfic, so, if you don’t appreciate this kind of content, please, look for another blog. There are a plenty of fabulous arts in this site!!  ^w^)b

* Oneshot. Something around 4.500 words.(I REALLY got carried away xDD) -w-)b.

* Sorry for any spelling, pontuation and grammar mistakes! Any and every advice is very very welcome! \(-w-)/

* Portugese’s Version (Brazilian’s one) coming soon!  Thankys for reading, my lollipops! Have a wonderful and incredible, festive or not, day! Take care with you gonna prank anyone (And only do if they’re okay with it) , they can get revenge. ~

                             [~*~]

Ding Dong I know you can hear me

Open up the door

I only wanna play a little.

 - What the fu… – Opened his eyes, the song suddenly swallowing him from his dream. He blinked a few times, his hands going toward his cellphone, vision finally focusing in the middle of the dimly lit darkness by sunlight, which managed to passes through the small slits in the curtains successfully. The device was not turned on.

 Ding Dong you can’t keep me waiting

It’s already too late

For you go and try to run away. ~

 He turned to the closet, where, on the floor, a small device vibrated, its screen glooming and being entirely responsible for proliferation of the calm background melody, which for some unknown reason made a feeling of cold, gelid fear spread through every inch of his body, growing more and more stronger as the light brown-haired reeling approached. His mind still foggy by tiredness.

 Whose phone was that?

  I see you through the window

Our eyes are locked together

I can sense your horror

Though I’d like to see it closer.~~

  He bent down to turn it off.

 Wait…

 He recognized this phone cover! It was from-

 - DING DONG! – The door slammed open, almost as fast as the fall from the one who just had woken up, the light suddenly invading every particle from his room along with the excitedly extremely loud scream – HURRY UP AND RUUUUUN! LET’S PLAY A LITTLE GAME AND HAVE FUN!!

 - MICHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

 It was crystal clear that Michael wanted to utter some words, something so easy to say by the way that small portions of sentences sought to slip through his lips. However, he was being completely hindered by his own (blood from his blood!!) uncontrollable laughter, needing a firm grip on the doorjamb to not collapse with the other’s fright. Jeremy placed his hand in his chest, feeling the heart skip some beats at a great speed and trying to control at least a small piece of his ragged breathing.

 - I should have recorded this! My holy Pacman, why didn’t I record this??? – Wiped few tears that accumulated at the corner of his eyes. The onslaught of laughter threatening to come back again as he faced the poor, poor teenager with his pajamas, hair and appearance full of mess. The one who has the sad fate of being the target of his prank and now demonstrated his gratitude by showing a very specific finger to him.

 - I will end with your existence, just give me a second. I-I need to recover my soul, I think it ran out the window. – Got up, finally succeeding in breath normally, his gaze was sharp, or the most close as possible with the sleep that still covered his features, but he couldn’t deny the smile, part vengeful and part because he have to give it to him: it was a good prank; that he struggled to doesn’t let its took over his face. – Why? Just… Why??

 - Because today is the International Double-Cosplay Chaaaaaaaallenge day!! – Michael was literally bouncing excitedly, gesturing as if he presented the answer to a huge and attentive audience and not a young man slowly coming down the stairs, still yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes while leading the trail to the kitchen.  

 Oh, the Double-Cosplay Challenge.

 It could even be seen as a tradition, a very ancient one, held of years without end. Not one of the seculars, though, that ones initiated in some trunk of time, which, if asked, No one would really know to explain from where it emerged. In fact, Jeremy almost remembered perfectly (‘perfectly, sure, it’s a hyperbole. Jeremy imagined his memory as a miniature of fish Dory. So, remembering more than six or five actions of a day that had gone years ago was a progress!) the way it all started.

 Like most things in his friendship with Michael, of course it had began with teasing that led to a semi-fight where both sides argued, yet without really having any warm in their words. For this time, the focus of the discussion was the ease and speed that Jeremy could paint every square of himself with blush as the slightest instigation…

 (...)

 - Could you stop??? – Heere jerked away by impulse, his cheeks already beginning to flush in pink for the squeal he uttered due the light blow that Michael dumped on his ear. – We’re in the middle of the game!!!

 - Do you mean that if we weren’t playing it wouldn’t be a problem, then? – Malefic smile. Jeremy felt the blush spread even more.

 - Wha- Sure it would be!!!!

 - Hmmm… I bet that would be okay if it was Christiiiiine doing that. – He mimicked a singing tone as he spoke her name, losing control over his car for a minute and being hit by a tortoise shell. – Damn, Bowser!! You were my favorite character, dude!!

 - Yeah, yeah. Keep talking while I take the lead!- The light brown-haired smirked, his tongue sticking out as he dodged a few drivers and climbed some positions in the ranking.

 - Ha! You couldn’t win this match even if you wanted to. – Jumped and hit one of the floating boxes with the question mark. Got the cannonball. – Just as you can’t stop to being a mess flushed even by the wind!

 - Is that so? And what about the Pinkberry employee? - Michael’s car was out of control for a piece of moment and Jeremy allowed himself to take his eyes off the screen for a few seconds just to catch the other’s face now painted with a light blush and a wobbly smile. – See? We’re rotten apples from the same basket, compadre.

 - Lucky shot.

 - Ability. – He corrected, contradicting his words, his automobile went straight towards the water. The Player Two wrinkled his nose.

 - The thing is, unlike you, I can control my blush. I would win from 10 to 1 if this were a competition.

 - I bet. – It was the magic word. Michael paused the game immediately, both turning to stare each other, the glare full of dangerous burning in their eyes, a grin finding space in their faces.

 - How much?

 A brief silence spreaded across the room, barely finding space with all the adrenaline and electricity following Jeremy’s thoughtful glaze as he searched in his mind for an award up to the challenge.

 - The one who be the most blushy, for most period of time or a greater amount of times, that is, who made the best tomato cosplay earn the right to try to survive for…

 (...)

 - …a week wearing a cosplay that the winner, and by this I mean I, - Michael gesticulated pompously, not even paying attention to the friend and opponent, who calmly hummed as setted the breakfast. – choose. At school, on the street, in home… With a break of five daily hours to wash and dry, as well as permission to get it off to sleep, BUT, that’s all. – Evil laugh. – I hope you are prepared, Heere. Because this year I choose the best cos-

 His eyes finally went to find the breakfast table, setted with a blue and red tablecloth where the phrase ‘Best Player nº1’ was practically completely hidden by the delicacies deposited on it: Pacman-shaped Pancakes, some being stuffed with hazelnut cream; Some cups with iced coffee, a small bowl of fruit salad, the common eggs and bacons; waffles with cream and blueberry spreading their sweet scent along the Special Christmas Donuts, available only for one hour after the local bakery opens. That cost great hours of Jeremy’s sleep, which immediately worth it just in watching the utterly surprised and clumsy expression from the one who wears glasses.

 - …tume… – His mouth hang wide open and he blinked several times, as if it was all a mirage about to disappear at any second. Michael simply couldn’t believe all his favorites dishes were really gathered in a only table in a only one meal.

 - To my faworite pewson. – The one in pajamas guides him to the chair; happily enjoying the blush consumes his friend’s cheeks.

 Fun Fact: Michael is hardly embarrassed by usual teasing and/or flirting. The thing that can truly make him mirror the color of his hoodie was actions and true, sincere compliments. It was as if the boy really didn’t expected anyone to thought about him long enough to prepare a gift or perceive and admire his actions… That always reminded Jeremy why he liked this day so much.

 - You play dirty, Heere. - The Mell finally managed to find words between his surprise, unable to look away and face the other with the dangerous smirk that was his mark.

 - I need to get to your level. – His voice bathed itself in a (fake) sweet tune, the teasing being enough to successfully capture the attention from the one in hoodie, leading their eyes to meet. Jeremy blinked innocently.

 - I just forgive you because of the donuts! They are like, an impossible legend, which I just heard being told and retold in all my years of life, waiting for the right moment when I finally could have it in my arms. – The light brown-haired rolled his eyes, smiling with the exaggerated description. – But don’t even think about getting used to my forgiveness! You won’t be so lucky ne-

 His sentence and merciful act have been interrupted by a high pitch squeak from Jeremy, who jerked away instinctively from Michael’s finger that poked him, protecting his tummy defensively, a wobbly, unstable smile in his face.

 Immediately thousands of memories and empirical data invaded the Mell’s mind, and, the more and more his brain reminded him, the more and more a predatory expression got strength and color in his face.

 - Oh, never mind. – Jeremy gulped, all his instincts beating like a bright red ‘r u n’ signal shining in the middle of a desert road on a stormy dawn. He felt himself starting to increase the distance between both. – It seems like you are out of lucky right now.

 And the race begin, this time out of the videogames’ screen.

 (…)

 - Oh Heeeere!~ - His tune could be described as ‘singing’ if it was not the panting voice due the attempts to still in maximum speed in pursuit of the Player Two. – Why do you keep running away from my love? This hurts. Sadface.

 - I bet it didn’t hurt more than my fall for you! – Jeremy’s only relief was that Michael would rather to lock himself on the basement to play than exercise in his free time. His only sadness was that he also would rather lock himself on the basement with Michael to play videogames in their free time, which mean that neither of them had the slightest, and necessary, disposition to any sports.

 However Michael at least was lucky, which uneven unfairly his chances. In the first opportunity he got, the one on the pajamas placed the coffe table between them.

 - Naaah. – The prankster started to encircle the table, analyzing the friend and opponent do the same action, but in the opposite direction. – Easy peachy compared to the time you stole my heart.

 - It was just to return the favor, since you stole mine first… - His gaze drifted to the stairs right behind the one who wears glasses. If he could dodge him and make to his room, he could lock himself there and spend the next hours on the safety and comfort of his computer and bed. His glare returned to Michael… All there was needed was a distraction. – No, wait, in truth, it was always yours.

 - Not in the same way that I am yours. – Wink.

 - But do you know what is just yours and you could give to me? – The dirty joke came and went away before it could be mentioned by the dark brown-haired, who failed in not burst out laughing. – Your hand!!

 Jeremy took vantage of the small moment of carelessness to rush out.

 Good Point?

 He managed to dodge Michael!! Yeaah!! Phase one completed with praise!

 Bad Point? (Suuuure that always it has to exists a bad one! It was too boring for your standards, wasn’t it, Universe?)

 He couldn’t even research the stairs before being knocked down on the carpet. He turned himself over, fighting for a few minutes stuffed with laugh and pieces of phrases (‘Michael, don-‘; ‘Could you stop, Heere!?’; ‘Just if you let me go!’; ‘Ouch! Damn, my glasses!’; ‘Gyah! Sorr- Hey! No! Nonono!’), at least until Michael finally find a gap in his barrier, wasting no time in attacking his bare foot, pulling a squeal from the one on pajamas, which worked like a race start, being immediately followed by dozens of giggles as his fingers danced in a lively rhythm: poking, scratching and wriggling in each centimeter of available skin.

 - MihihihihihihihihihihihichaACK- Michael never played any instruments for much in his life, but he assumed that this is how the musicians should feel. Wriggling: Squeal; Poking that exactly spot in the middle of his sole: Shriek; Each scratch could give him a different melodious sound depending on the spot he was attacking. - NOHOHOHOHOHOHOhohohohohOHOHO!!

 - What did you said, Heere? Mind repeat? I can’t understand any word in the middle of your adorable giggles. – Jeremy rocked his arms from side to side without really managing to coordinate them to do something useful. The sensation took over his mind and all his nerves. However, he was still able to hear and understand another words beyond his own giggles, which automatically made a heat spread quickly through all his face. - Awwwn!! You already are blushiiiing. ~

 - Shuhuhuhuhuhut UHUHUhuhp!! NononO! Nohohohoht thehehehere! – And then more uncontrollable laughter began to float from his lips as Michael’s nails found their way to the ticklish skin right under his toes.

 - ‘There’, where? Did you mean… here? – One of his hands held his toes in order to unfold them while the other tickled without a single drop of mercy. Jeremy felt himself jump in a sit position, trying to focus his tearing eyes enough to stop the assault. It took just a few pokes in his tummy to make he lay down again.

 - NAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahaHAHA! – His eyes were closed and his nose wrinkled. His whole body shook with the loud, shrill laughs that spilled from his mouth without any barrier; only being interrupted by some squeak or yelp as the Player One decided to get bored with his toes and quickly changed the tickle attack to his knees. Started to switch from one to another in random patterns, squeezing his kneecaps or giving an especial attention to the extremely, unfairly ticklish skin under them.

 That leading the laugh to grow even louder and the sensations more and more unbearable. Michael happily watched when Jeremy swung his legs up, seeking to curl in a protection ball, “obliging” him to retaliate with a series of kneads on his thighs, causing  the light brown-haired to frantically kick, trying to free himself from the tickles, leading Michael to go back to his knees and restart the loop all over again.

 - S-Sthohohohohohohop!! – He let out a frustration groan in the fifth time it happened. The Mell couldn’t help but evil crackle at that, also being helped by the fact that Jeremy’s laugh was extremely contagious.

 - I don’t know what are you talking about, Heere! All I can ever hear is the victory sound of me winning the Double-Cosplay challenge this year!!

 - YOHOHOHOHOHOHOU WIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHISH-nono! No, pleaSE! nHOHOHT THeherHEHEHEs!

 - Is this your final answer, then? – Michael stared at him, the mischievous grin still very present, even though Jeremy didn’t saw it. The sunshine flooded the victim’s face, only further highlighting the freckles already favored by the blush, which literally cover his entire face, now. Jeremy shook his head side to side, as if denying the fate that was about to catch him, or as if answered the question from the other, Michael just shrugged and decided to ignore the act. – So, that’s it! Be prepared to the Ultimate Tickle Attack!!

 He stopped.

 And the Player Two used the opportunity of a break to take some sips of air, finally being able to shrunk in a defensive ball. The crackling laughter still bouncing gladly from his mouth that couldn’t at all undo the big bright smile going ear to ear in his features. It really seemed to illuminate the place.

 His hand trembled a little as he wiped tears that managed to slide across his burning cheeks. The laughing now became giggling and finally starting to fade.

 And then he realized.

 Not even a whisper from Michael.

 He opened his eyes, a little confused, and suddenly shivers ran thundering down his spine, spreading through each of his ticklish spots, making them tingle more, perhaps in the same amount of times that the Mell approached his fingers teasingly until they were a few inches above his calves.

 Damn! Cursed be these years of friendship and all the tickle fights in their childhood that give him the knowledge about this particular spot.

 - Mihihihichael! – His giggles came back strident, his smile threatened to widen further. Jeremy bitted softly the tip of his tongue, trying to do at least a threatening expression, yet too much excitedly for it. The one in hoodie quickly lowered his hand, stopping before he could research the place, leading the other to jump and release a pinched scream would never admitted being his in the future. Butterflies danced in his stomach. – NohohoHOT eVEn thIHIHIhihnk abohohohut th-

 - Not touchin you, dude! – The prankster laughed starting to wiggle his fingers, and, even though they didn’t have touched him yet, Jeremy could already feel it. Feel the uncontrolled laughter in his chest, the nerves tingling eagerly, the eyes closing reflexively and… - If I knew it was so easy to make you blush just with that I already would won this tournament years ago!! – His face was going to melt, he was absolutely sure of that. It was going to melt and he would be obligated to wear the stupid mask of whatever cosplay Michael chose for him for the rest of his life!! – And I’m not even doing anything, literally!

 - Shuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuht uhuhuhuhuhuhuhp, youhohohor sadihihihistic!! – The heat just spread stronger, arriving to the tip of his ears. He attempted to shrink more in defense; however, the Player One held his leg, his other hand resting on his chest, as if he were truly offended.

 - Jeremy! – He faked another attack, almost losing control of his dramatic pose and laughing when the Heere snorted. – Now, that was not the manners I gave you! I’m not even doing anything and a puddle of adorable giggles offends me! Humpf… – He wander lightly his index finger through all the extension of his calf, each inch releasing a new squeal tone.

 - Sohohorry!! Sohohohohohohohohohohrrehehehey! – He pushed his leg, trying to free himself from the deadly grip. Michael didn’t even bother into pretending to ponder about his apologies, and then the light brown-haired knew he was screwed up in the exact moment he find that glint the other’s eye.

 - Nah. I would rather return the favor. – And, as he said, started to ruthlessly knead his calves.

 Jeremy never had fought that much in his life. All of his muscles squirmed; reacting to the warning signals they received from his nerves, which probably were all very confused when they heard his laughter. Powerful, loud and fully stuffed with screams, laughter. His mind went in a total collapse and he could only focus on the tickling, finding his synapses unable to form a single coherent word, neither a sentence.

 Michael stopped. Half because he had pity to see the tears began to wash the friend’s cheeks and the other half because he was afraid that some neighbor would call the police with the screams from the shorter; and also because he couldn’t control his own laughter anymore. Grateful to be seated, he leaned against the outsider arm of the couch, his voice mingling with the remained giggles from the other. Both flying in the air.

 For a moment, the duo stayed just like this: Laughing.

 - Yohohohohou ahahahahare the worhohohohost! – Wiped his tears, finally managing to remove the sensations rubbing the spot that, probably, was the most ticklish and unlikely to have. Thanked to the pure, fresh air entering his lungs, which seemed to give him strength to sit and stare the shape who still laughing.

 An awesome idea crossed by his brain and camped there. A little cliché, that is true, but he felt deserving this privilege.

 His hands met the armpits of the Player One, without moving, who instinctively downed his arms, an uncharacteristic squeak now running from his lips. Jeremy enjoyed the sense of power he had when the opponent, in the videogames and for this day, faced him with wide eyes, struggling with a smile in his face.

 - Je-jeremy… Come on, pal, dude, friend... – The one on pajamas just smiled in response, turning softly his head, like a puppy staring you doubtfully about your despair as hold your only short in their mouth, paws flexed and about to run through the beach, to anywhere as long is far from you (Long and funny story, ask Mr Heere to show you the video later.) and wasted no time before start the attack.

 Michael held his breath. His lips suppressed in a arc as they were pressed strongly, refusing to let out a single giggle from the thousands that already stirred in his throat.

 - What the matter? – Jeremy chuckled, noticing the not-so-subtly effort from the newer victim to control himself, just getting even clear when his legs began to squirm. The light brown-haired positioned himself on his right, already knowing what was coming, his face approached further. – Wouldn’t you happen to be… too ticklish for that, right?

 He started to slowly scribble in the other’s armpits, the glint in his eyes glowing as watched him jumping with the touch and hugging his sides, fighting more with the waterfall of giggles trying to pour from his lips and this struggle seeming about to make him explode, due how much his cheeks puffed and blushed. The Mell shook his head.

 - Phew, what a relief. – The Player Two faked a relieved sigh, as if heavy chains were removed from his back. His face got closer, Michael stared at him, fear and expectation shining mingled up in his expression, red beginning to grew stronger in his face. S c o r e. – So you won’t mind if I get a itty bitty revenge, right?

 And started to blow right on that spot behind his ear, something that the friend did almost daily and now tasted what he so gladly distributed. Michael squealed, the barriers finally giving in and being quickly subdued by the snorts and giggles as fingers skillfully poked and wriggled in his armpits, taking more speed and strength, just as Michael’s fight to escape from his fate.

 - JEHEHEHEHEHEheheheheHEHEHEHEHEREMYY!!! NOHOHOHOHOHO!!

 - Michael! We are in a serious competition here! I would like to see a little more compromising from your side!! – His head moved away as he stopped in order to teasing the other’s neck. Changing his tactics to verbal teasing and, even though he didn’t threatened back to his neck anymore, the ‘victim’ still kept his shoulders up, as if by precaution.

 - FUHUHUHUHUHUACK!!  – The light brown-haired was able to release his hands from the friend’s gasp, giving him some free seconds before immediately tickle his sides. – PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHhahahahahahahAHAHAHA! – His tune got a fewer octaves higher, flinching a little as Jeremy alternated between kneading his left, squeeze his right and then attack both at the same time.

 Fun fact: Michael did not squirmed, he trashed his body side to side in a mad dance ruled by the melody of his own deep, frenetic and uncontrollable belly laughter that fled without any permission from his mouth. Therefore, tickle his legs or even sit on them to try pinning him down was practically impossible. His upper body, on the other hands, due his fear of tossing away his glasses, were easier to deal.

 - Wait… Oh no, Michael! I discovered! – His eyes even attempted to meet with the other’s, but these were tightly closed, tears starting to welling up in the corner. The Heere forced himself to slow the attack, noticing the crackling laugh and shrieks that started to took over Michael’s loud, and completely contagious, laughter. He drank a little of air, still letting squeals and giggles escape from his lips for the soft tracing in his tummy, one of the Mell’s hand holding his wrist, but didn’t doing nothing to really stop the tickle. – You are not able to command your laughter!

 - Nohohohoho shi- A lightly squeezing in his hips was enough to make a yelp interrupt the rest of his sarcastic sentence.

 - This is extremely serious! But do not fear, as your best friend, I will help you! I am almost sure that I find a Resert Buttom!!

 The one who wears glasses felt his smile grow wider, more for the nonsense from the other than anything else. He tried to ignore the rising heat spreading now across his neck.

 A finger poked his navel and the jump Mell did nearly broke the ceiling, together with a squeal that Jeremy definitely would remind him later. The Player Two used all his willpower to not fall on the floor laughing with the other’s reaction, especially when this one actually began to really try to remove his hands from anywhere closer of his most ticklish spot, miserably failing when Jeremy suddenly started to give quick tickles in any and every where to distract him.

 -Heere, dohohohohon’t you dahahahahahare! – His hands were in a total uncontrolled frenzy, just as his euphoric giggles.

 - I-I’m just- Their laugh were now mixed as danced through the room, especially when in an act of pure despair Michael attacked his ribs, making him really start laughing for real. Oh no!! He wouldn’t win this one!! – I’m juhuhuhuhuhst trying tohohoho hehehehehehelp, yohohohour ungreatuful!!! Boop!

 And then his finger finally was able to tickle his belly button, wriggling, poking an causing a real scream to leave the other’s lips, as a small signal before the loud, mad and extremely frenetic laughter exploded from his mouth. He jostled and babbled non-ended words that even he had no idea with what they were supposed to mean.

 He was getting crazy. Michael was absolutely sure. His head was thrown back with the strength of the laughter and for a moment everything, even the tickles that spread through every little inch in his body as unbearable and hilarious shivers, disappeared.

 A piece of rationality, the last one, made him attack and scribble his fingers in some unprotected skin from his opponent. It didn’t mattered where it was, and yes that seconds later Jeremy’s laughter started to go along his owns, showing that retaliation was working.

 Both rolled out on the floor, laughing, snorting, yelping, squealing, squeaking, giggling and equally trying to make the friend released the same sounds as himself. Their members shuffled, seeking to tickle any and all minimally reachable tickle spots, both unwilling to give up and both waiting to the other give in first.

 Maybe it was the so-called ‘friendly telepathy’, the same one which allowed them to chat just with glares and always know what and when the other needed something. However, the duo slowly begun decreasing their attack almost simultaneously. The squeezes and kneads becoming pokes before turning into scratching and scribbles until they finally broke apart, staring the opponent for a few hesitant seconds (not that they really could properly see each other through all their tears happily spilling down their cheeks ) before laying on the floor. The remaint laughter being the only thing filling the silence, along with the panting breaths.

 For a while they just stayed like that: laughing.

 The sun’s rays started to heat the room, showing it wasn’t that early anymore and probably the donuts were already cold by this moment. Cars were passing outside and some dog somewhere barked desperately, the sound not echoing louder than their hearts, which stilled seeking to calm down themselves after the strange and high dose of adrenaline.

 Jeremy was the first to speak, raising his arm and waving as it like a white flag.

 - Draw?

 - Keep dreaming. – Michael’s voice was slightly hoarse. He cleared his throat while the one on pajamas rolled his eyes, none of them really succeeding in removes the bright smile in their faces. – Truce for breakfast?

 They sat, not taking too long to get up as hear the angry protests from their stomachs, they shook their hands, sealing the quick agreement. Their eyes met and, for a piece of moment both ignored how much redder they were, their minds now just focusing on the eagerly awaited meal.

 - Truce for breakfast.

[cravingcrazewriting]

Hard To Understand {Treebros}

English was a hard language to learn.

Okay, that was an understatement, but when you speak German, already a hard enough language for English speakers to comprehend, they expected you to pull the weight.

Which Evan thought was dumb, but whatever.

The point was that he was in a sort of messy apartment with a single mother who was letting him stay with him, because she was apart of the foster care system and always wanted a kid of her own. She was the most fluent in German and despite having a busy schedule, still would have time for Evan.

He didn't ask why she didn't have any children. He knew better to get into her personal life like that. But he did know was that she was getting remarried to some guy named Paul Heere, who was trying to learn German for Evan's sake. He even had a son himself, named Jeremy or something.

Evan doubted he'd get adopted, because he'd recently just turned seventeen and was nearly an adult. He couldn't be on his own till he was eighteen, though.

Heidi drove him to his first day, which was in the middle of the school year, and that alone made him uncomfortable. She talked to him mainly through German all throughout the car ride, talking about how she wished he'd make new friends and that he'd have a good day.

Evan didn't think either of those options were probable, but he didn't tell Heidi that.

Inside the school, he had to rely on the four years of English knowledge he'd gathered (he wasn't fluent by a long shot) to get his schedule.

"Don't worry, your teachers know you're new so don't fret if you're late," the secretary had told him while handing him a generic schedule that of course, was in English.

He managed to make out that his first period was 'Government', which okay, he supposed he'd have to learn about how the U.S. government works, so it should be interesting.

But Government was a lot harder to understand than Evan gave credit for. It was in general just complicated and had certain regulations he had to follow. Like the draft, for instance, but Evan wasn't a U.S. citizen, didn't know if he'd actually become one, or if Heidi and Paul were willing to adopt him. He had a lot of questions but was too nervous to ask them, so he spent the rest of his first period translating his schedule.

His next class was accounting, which wouldn't be so hard if he didn't have to translate every word problem on his sheet. He'd seriously had been hoping the teacher would at the very least help make sure his translations were correct, but no, they just gave Evan the sheet and went on their way.

The whole day was a hassle, to say the least, and a lot of it was wasted by translating stuff that the teachers should've previously had done for him.

Jared was apparently the son of Heidi's friend, who'd asked him to hang out with Evan. That didn't exactly happen. Jared said hello, that he'd help him to get his mom off of his back, and said some type of insult at a long haired teen walking to presumably a lunch table.

The poor guy was tall and skinny, but that didn't mean he didn't have any form of muscle on him. He had a slight build on him, with long, curly brunette hair waving all around his shoulders. Everything about him was sharp, his face, his eyes, even the shape of his body, but was covered by a soft hoodie, trench coat, and ripped jeans.

Evan could decipher a good majority of what he was saying. He was asking Jared if he wasn't... being funny enough? No, that did not make sense, especially with the angry expression the latter was holding. It was something about a joke, but that was all he got.

Before Jared walked off, he called the guy a freak. Which well, isn't that smart? Leave a foreign exchange student alone with a fully fluent English speaker who probably doesn't know German.

He made a small noise, which could've been mistaken for a laugh, because it was short and nervous.

The taller teen snapped at him, asking what he was laughing about. Evan tried to reason that he wasn't, but all he could really say was 'no, I'm not' over and over until he was shoved into the lockers.

Afterwards, a girl that looked a bit younger than him with long, blonde hair that had faded blue streaks ran to his aid. She was wearing a jean jacket, t shirt, and jeans. She was asking way too many questions for him to decipher, and he was growing closer and closer to a panic attack as it was, so he just scrambled to get up and ran to the bathroom (thankfully the signs were a dead giveaway) to try and calm down. He was just so overwhelmed with everything, and wanted to go home.

The rest of the day didn't get any better. He felt so tired and worn out from lunchtime, and with how much stuff he had to translate, it didn't leave a lot of time to actually get work done. A few teachers already translated the homework for him, which he greatly appreciated.

In his open eighth hour, he began typing out a therapy letter. Heidi had been talking to his new therapist, who apparently recommended that he wrote them. He was meeting with him that day.

Evan vented to Heidi on the phone, speaking fast in his heavy, German accent. He talked about needing to translate everything, how the teachers only understood so much of what he was saying, and how he could barely understand his classmates. Heidi tried to sympathize with him, and assured him Dr. Sherman was one hundred percent fluent in German, which Evan found hard to believe, but he tried to, anyway.

The letter was mainly in German, mostly because it was easier for Evan and it was a test to see if Dr. Sherman wasn't lying. It basically talked about how shitty of a year he was gonna have because no one cared about the German speaking kid, that he was shoved, and that no one would care or notice if he disappeared the next day.

But the tall, dark dressed teen appeared in the lab, his letter in hand.

"I um... I wanted to apologize for earlier," he said, shifting his weight every now and again, "I didn't mean to freak out on you."

"Um," Evan couldn't believe he had to uphold a conversation with the guy who shoved him. "It is okay. I am not mad."

"You're not from around here, right?" That surprised Evan, because no one had really acknowledged it. "I've heard you're from Germany."

Only a few bits and pieces made sense to him, but he got the gist of it. "Yes. That is correct."

"Do you miss it? Germany?" They crossed their arms.

Evan furrowed his brow in thought. "There is... not much to miss. I had..." he suddenly shook his head, "I am in foster care. I have no friends."

The teen's expression fell, "That really sucks. I'm sorry..."

Evan shook his head, not wanting to think about that. "How do you know I come from Germany? What is your name?"

"Word gets around when someone new shows up," again, only bits and pieces, "And I'm Connor."

Evan smiled weakly at him, sort of wanting the conversation to end. "I am Evan. It's nice to meet you, Connor."

"Evan?" The taller teen, Connor, pulled out a sheet of paper. He read the top. "Is this yours? It has your name on it."

"Yes! It's... homework, in a way," Evan took the paper, relieved in the fact that he wrote it in German. It felt private that way. "I am... seeing someone after school... to talk to..." he snapped his fingers as he tried to remember the word.

"A therapist?" Connor offered.

"Yes!" Evan beamed. "You are terrifying!"

Connor suddenly looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

"No! I did not mean that! People are terrifying, not just you! It is..." he trailed off, thinking for a moment, before suddenly remembering the word. "Anxiety! It is what my foster mom calls... social anxiety."

Connor made a face, "I guess that explains a lot."

"And because English is hard," he shrugged sheepishly.

"Um, if you want, I could give you a little help? I know it's probably weird coming from the guy who... pushed you, but maybe I could make it up to you?" Connor offered, smiling weakly.

"Oh," the offer was a surprise to Evan, and despite not wanting to being around Connor a lot, he needed both the help and practice. "Yes. I accept."

Connor set down his satchel and dug through it, before pulling out a pen. "Got something I can write on?"

"Uhh..." he looked at his letter, and handed it to him, not really caring if he wrote on it. Dr. Sherman would be happy to see he got someone's number, at least.

Connor took the letter and wrote in the back of it. He just wrote his number and name. "Text me later so we can arrange a time, okay?"

Evan smiled weakly, taking it back, "Okay."

It was hard at first, getting used to a new situation with someone completely new who hasn't exactly left the best first impression. But Connor was smarter than Evan previously thought, because he was trying to learn German to make things easier for him. There was a lot of miscommunication at first, but slowly, they started to understand each other better and better each day. They even hung out outside of study sessions, either at the park, the old orchard, or Evan's house (Connor didn't want him to go to his house).

What was once a disliking for Connor slowly turned into liking, but evolved into love, and not just the platonic best friend love. Actually in love, with how Connor messed with his hair when he was nervous, or how he'd soften up when he knew Evan was struggling with anxiety or other things. He couldn't help but stare at him unabashedly, whenever the opportunity showed itself, like when Connor faced the opposite direction of him.

That was exactly why he didn't tell him anything. Despite staying with Heidi for almost four months, he was certain she was going to give him up and send him back to Germany. Evan wasn't sure if long distance would even work out. He knew it was hard to, anyways. Plus, he was certain Connor only saw him as a friend.

One day though, when Connor was dropping him off at home, he saw a black car outside his house and paled. It was the same car he'd arrived in when he met Heidi, and was dropped off in. It was a Jeep, he realized, unlike before.

"Evan? What's wrong?" Connor noticed his distress.

"It's- my social worker," he said slowly.

"Why're they here?" He growled at the black colored car parked in front of them.

Evan bit at his lip. "Whenever they come, they are taking me away..."

Connor's hand found Evan's arm and clutched it. "They are not taking away my best friend."

"You do not have a choice..." he muttered, "It is my mom's..."

"We could run away," Connor declared. "They can't take you away if they can't find you."

"They will look for me. I... tried running once. It did not end well," Evan shook his head. "It will not work. I do not want say goodbye but..."

"You're not legally an adult yet. They can still tell you what to do," Connor filled in, looking away.

Evan just nodded sadly. "I do not want to go... I would miss you..."

Connor stayed silent, his hand staying on Evan's arm. He didn't want to let go of him, because if he did, he'd be taken away. Even though it was inevitable, it was ground, saying that was Evan was still there, that he hadn't left just yet.

"We'll have to go eventually," Evan whispered, gazing at the hand on his upper arm.

Connor nodded shortly, a small sign Evan recognized as him being upset. Finding the smallest amount of courage he could muster, he reached over the cup holders and brushed his bangs out of his eyes.

This was enough for Connor to put a hand in his cheek, like he was urging him closer. Call it his imagination, or whatever, but it made the distance between them so small, and it was only getting smaller. Just before it happened, Evan realized they were about to kiss, and despite fearing the fact that they'd be separated, he couldn't help conjoining their lips, letting his worries disappear, even if it was for a moment.

He clutched onto Connor tightly, despite the gentleness of the kiss. He wanted to be even closer to him, to climb onto Connor's lap, or pull him on top of him, something more, but yet at the same time, it was all too much. Connor had moved his hand from his cheek down to his neck, subconsciously stroking Evan's Adam's Apple which make him jump into surprise, but also made him lean into it because it felt so nice. Connor was always so gentle with him, whether it was checking a bruise (Evan was extremely clumsy) or greeting him with a hug after a panic attack, it was welcoming and soothing, but most importantly, not suffocating. The opposite of that, in fact.

They separated and pressed their foreheads together, panting as they began to catch their breaths.

The most fantastic part?

Connor's hand never left Evan's arm. Not once.

"That was- amazing," Evan shut his eyes, refusing to move even an inch. It was like the magic of that moment would shatter if he shifted even just a bit.

"You- you liked that?" Connor sounded surprised, and when Evan opened his eyes again, Connor was staring back at him.

"I like you, Connor. A lot. More than just best friends do," he insisted, meeting Connor's gaze.

"Good," He let out a shaky breath, "Cause I do, too."

Despite the situation, Evan began to laugh. How ironic everything was, and how it was about to be ripped away from him, and he could only laugh and cry because it just wasn't fair. He finally had Connor, but he was about to loose him.

"What's so funny," Connor squeezed his arm, his voice laced with worry.

Evan shook his head, tears falling from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. "We have spent- f-far too long just... liking each other from a distance, when we could've gotten together sooner... We could've had more time together as... something more."

Connor brushed away some of the big, blotchy tears from his cheeks, despite more escaping. "Hey. I'm not gonna give up that easily. I still want to be with you, and I'm more than willing to do long distance if you are."

Evan sniffled, "I... I don't know, Connor. Long distance usually does not work, and there's so much for us to loose."

Connor smiled weakly. "What's there to loose? We can make it work."

"Du bist meine Welt," Evan whispered shakily.

Connor paused, and licked his lips. "I... I don't know what that means..."

"You are my world," he repeated, running a hand through Connor's wild, messy hair. "I admit that I didn't actively try to make friends... I saw no point, especially knowing that I could be taken at a minutes notice. But you... you forced your way in, and filled an empty place in my life I didn't know I needed. I know you might forget me, but... I won't forget you."

He quickly leans over and pecked his cheek, before moving to give another to his jaw. "You're fucking insane if you think I'll forget you," he muttered against his skin.

Evan laughed, "I always thought I was non important. Glad to be proven wrong, though."

Connor pulled away, and the space was aching. He pulled out the car keys reluctantly.

Evan began to move at last. "We, we should go..."

When they exited the car, Connor briefly released his arm, but once they were side to side, he curled his fingers around Evan's. He held onto Connor tightly, because it was probably the last time they'd be there, side to side. The ironic thing was is that he was never told when he was being taken away. The social worker showed up, said, "It's time to go.", and Evan would pack up all his things and go (he was a fast packer).

He was already trembling by the time he was inside. The social worker, with long brown hair, dressed in all black, was talking to Heidi, having her sign some forms. She turned around and smiled at Evan.

"Was ist los? Soll ich meinen Koffer nehmen?" Evan asked her, fidgeting with his hands.

"Nein, heute ist ein besonderer Tag," she smiled.

"Worüber redest du?" He looked up at her.

"You are being adopted," she stated, looking back at Heidi, who nodded.

Evan stares, mouth agape. "Wha- r-really? But you... don't have much time with me..."

"That doesn't matter to me," Heidi shook her head, smiling. "With how much time we've spent together proves that you're apart of this family."

"Wait, what was that other stuff?" Connor walked over, raising an eyebrow.

"I asked if I needed my suitcase, but she said no, because today was special. When I asked why, she uh, well you know what she said," Evan clarified.

Connor started to smile. "So you're staying?"

"I am. Like it or not," Evan desperately wanted to grab Connor's hand, but he still didn't know what they even were. They didn't exactly have time beforehand to discuss it, and they thought he was leaving, as well.

"I do like it, though," Connor smirked ever so slightly.

"Even though we are both hard to understand?"

"We find our own ways, Ev. I can usually find some way to figure out what you're trying to stay."

Evan just nodded in silent agreement, taking his hand at last, because how was he supposed to argue with that?

[junietuesday]

Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Michael Mell/Jeremy Heere, Michael Mell & Jeremy Heere
Characters: Michael Mell, Jeremy Heere, Background & Cameo Characters
Additional Tags: boyfs is tagged both / and & bc it’s fwb but michael’s feelings are purely friendship, Friends With Benefits, Aromantic Character, Aromantic allosexual character, Aromantic Michael Mell, YES ARO RIGHTS THAT’S AN OFFICIAL TAG NOW, Sexual References, all talk though there’s barely any actual sexual content and it’s all nongraphic, Recreational Drug Use, Internalized Amatonormativity, Internalized Arophobia, Unhealthy Relationships, Michael Mell Has ADHD, archive warning is “chose not to use” bc i wasn’t sure whether or not this counted as underage, other than that it’s “no warnings apply”
Series: Part 3 of Be More Aspec “So, like, is there anything happening between you and Jeremy?” “…There’s nothing at all romantic. But we do kinda have this, like, friends-with-benefits thing going on?” “I knew it. The chemistry’s all there. Is it really not romantic?” “Of course.“ But what if this is a crush? Like, Michael finds Jeremy handsome, he loves him a lot, and he likes the sex, so what else is there to romance, really? … your typical boyf riends with benefits fic, but not.

[the-insanely-cool-connor-mu-blog]

Pretty (Soulmate!AU)

Part 1 bc tumblr’s a bitch

A/N: This is the long one I was talking about sorry it’s shit though

Word Count (for the whole thing): 2154 (ooh boy)

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Swearing

Soulmates. Everyone knew they were your other half, your perfect counterpart. Everyone was born with a soulmark on their wrist dictating the first thing their soulmate would say to them. Yours was I can’t just talk to a pretty girl like that! Which was kinda sweet, you’d once thought. But then you’d realized your soulmate was probably going to be talking about some other girl. So after that, you kind of gave up on finding your soulmate. You just lived normally and didn’t let it bother you. Well, you tried to not let it bother you.

It was late Thursday evening, and you were working your last shift at the local Wendy’s. The place was pretty empty except for a couple of guys in a booth talking to each other. They were both making exaggerated gestures and seemed to be having a pretty heated argument. Finally one of them got up.

“I can’t just talk to a pretty girl like that!” the shorter one of the two muttered, walking past you to put his empty cup in the trash. You barely even registered what he had said. He was... actually super fucking cute, which was just great. There were no other girls here, so you realized he must be talking about you.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you talked to me,” you called out. Oh shit, did I just say that, he’s going to think I’m weird. Why did I do that?

He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Oh God he thinks I’m a freak.

But he just stood there in shock.

And then it hit you. What he’d said. Oh God I’m an idiot.

His friend was smiling and giving him two giant thumbs up from their table. He rolled down his sleeve in silent disbelief, revealing the words:

Actually, I wouldn’t mind if you talked to me

You rolled down your own sleeve to show the words that had come out of his mouth just seconds earlier:

I can’t just talk to a pretty girl like that!

You both stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

“I, uh, I’m Jeremy,” he stammered, shoving his glasses back up his nose.

“Y/N.”

“Well, uh it’s nice to meet you, Y/N.” He glanced over to his friend, who was miming writing something down. He nodded and, quickly grabbing a pen out of his pocket and scribbling something down, turned back to you.

“Here’s my number, if you wanna, like, talk or something,” he mumbled as he handed the paper to you, suddenly nervous all over again.

You smiled. “Yeah, I think I will.”

Jeremy and his friend left and you kept grinning. You’d finally found your soulmate!

Once your shift was done, you texted your best friend Zoe:

met cute guy @ work!

and he’s my soulmate!

AND i got his number!

Oh my God Y/N that’s amazing!

Wish I could meet my soulmate

don’t be so sad, zo! you’ll find your soulmate!

...i sound like the sappiest person alive

No you don’t, I just wish I could meet my soulmate sooner

you’ll find them!! now go to sleep, it’s like 10

Yes ma’am

You went to bed, though you wondered when you would see Jeremy again.

He came back a few days later, but this time his glasses were gone and he was wearing an Eminem t-shirt. He seemed to carry a new cocky swagger in his step, and you weren’t sure what to think of it.

“Eminem? Are people still into him?” you asked. You laughed at your own criticality, not waiting for him to respond. “I wouldn’t know anyway, my taste in music isn’t exactly.. mainstream.”

“Like, indie music and stuff?” He was still clueless as ever.

“More like musicals.” You immediately cringed, expecting him to laugh at you.

Instead, he just nodded. “Cool.”

“You lost the glasses,” you said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

“Yeah, they, uh—“ Jeremy stopped mid sentence, a look of intense pain on his face. “Are you okay?” you asked worriedly.

“Fine,” he choked out, “I’m perfectly fine.”

You frowned. He didn’t look fine. But he obviously didn’t want to talk about it.

“I don’t have any contacts, and I’m really nearsighted, so that’s a fun thing,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

You laughed lightly. “Cool, what can I get you?”

“Actually, I’m not getting anything. Just wanted to say hi.”

“Oh. Okay,” you said, bobbing your head up and down. And with that, he left, leaving you confused and bewildered.

One day he came with a pretty girl who you assumed was his girlfriend. You felt a pang of jealousy as you tapped at the register.

Every time he stuttered or went to scratch his neck, he immediately sat bolt upright as if he had been shocked. The girl noticed too, and had to leave halfway through the date, something about not wanting to miss play rehearsal. Jeremy slumped back in his seat, disappointed.

You couldn’t help but wonder if somehow he’d forgotten about you. You were his soulmate, after all. You’d always assumed that when you met your soulmate, you would immediately click and be inseparable, two halves of a whole. That you would always have him close by. But he was right here, and somehow he felt farther away than ever.

He didn’t come in for a few weeks after that, and you were beginning to get worried. You quickly typed up a text on your way driving home from work.

hey are you okay

The response came a few minutes later.

Yeah, I should be out of the hospital any day now

The hospital? Fuck, had something happened? Your mind raced with possibilities, each worse than the last. You typed another message, hoping to ease your anxiety.

jeremy?

why are you in the hospital?

It’s a long story but basically there were these like tic tacs that help you to be cool and they’re from Japan and mine kind of tried to take over all of human civilization so yeah

You frowned. What the actual, genuine fuck?

jeremy what the fuck

Obviously some really weird shit was going down. You swerved your car around in a Uturn to get to the hospital. You kept your eyes trained on the road, while a notification lit up your phone screen out of the corner of your eye.

I told you it was a long story!

Stopping at a red light, you quickly typed a reply.

yeah no shit

jesus christ

at least you’re okay

How did you know I was MIA anyway?

you haven’t shown up at wendy’s for four weeks

Honestly I just went there to see you the food is kinda shitty

You pulled up to the ER parking lot.

yeah lmao

but seriously

why didn’t you just ask me out once we figured out we were soulmates?

You didn’t wait for a response, already getting out of your car and slamming the door shut. Your phone lit up again with the notifications.

I was scared, I guess

I mean, it’s just you are literally the person the universe destined me for, no pressure or anything

I just didn’t want to try and then screw this up

You responded as you walked into the ER waiting room.

no i get it

it’s kinda intense

but since we’re kinda destined for each other and all

wanna go to lunch on sunday?

I don’t even know if I’ll be out of here by then

“I’m looking for Jeremy Heere?” you asked the receptionist. She nodded, finished her phone call, and typed something up.

“What is your relation to him?” she asked, her attention flickering back to you.

“Significant other,” you said, even though you’d never actually been on a date. But you were his soulmate, and that must have counted for something, right?

“He’s in Room 102, dear,” she smiled.

“Great, thanks,” you almost shouted, already running to his room. You burst through the door and found Jeremy.

He looked so fragile attached to all the tubes and wires. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his glasses were back.

“Oh my god are you okay?” You asked, taking a tentative step towards him.

He cracked a brief smile. “Oh, no, definitely not,” he quipped.

“So,” you said, perching on the edge of the bed, “what the everloving fuck is a Squip?”

He spent the next half hour explaining the whole situation. The Halloween party, the Squip, the play. All of it. When he finally finished you whispered, “Holy shit.”

“Yeah. I understand if you wanna, like, never talk to me again or something,” he mumbled.

“Why would I do that?”

“Why wouldn’t you? I literally almost doomed the entire human race. You deserve a better soulmate.”

“No, I don’t. You’re amazing. You’re smart and funny and really cute. Besides, I don’t think there are refunds on soulmates. Maybe we could catch a movie?”

He smiled a little. “Yeah. I’ll text you as soon as I get out.”

“I’ll see you then,” you said, leaving the room.

Three days later you got a text from Jeremy.

I’m out of the hospital

finally!

So, um

I was thinking we could see a movie tonight?

sounds good!

your choice!

pick me up @ 9

You don’t have to if you don’t want to

Oh lol

You sat on your couch, tapping your foot as you watched the clock. Eight fifty-seven, eight fifty-eight, eight fifty-nine, nine.

You glanced at the door. He was almost here, hopefully, definitely not standing you up...

The doorbell rang, and you sprang up and ran to it in a flash of nervous energy. You opened the door, grinning, to find Jeremy standing there looking about as nervous as you felt.

“Is it gonna be weird if my dad drives us?” he asked gesturing to the unfamiliar car in the driveway.

“It’s fine.”

He relaxed. “Okay, cool, good.”

You two were a bit squished together in the backseat, and Jeremy’s dad made some remark about how happy he was his son found his soulmate. The ride was overall a bit awkward, but you chatted with Jeremy. Turned out you went to the same school—what were the odds?

Mr. Heere pulled up to the theatre. “Welp, this is where I leave you kiddos. Have fun!” he called as you stepped out. You couldn’t wait to see what movie Jeremy had picked.

When you looked at the tickets you found, surprisingly enough, it was a romcom. You teased him about it a bit. He just shrugged and said, “I always like a good love story.”

“Okay, dude,” you laughed, buttering the popcorn.

At one point during the movie, you laughed exceptionally loudly at a pun that was so bad it was fucking hilarious. Jeremy couldn’t really pay attention to the movie, though. He was more focused on your bright smile and beautiful laugh. You swore it was the ugliest laugh ever, but to him, it was angelic, like tinkling bells. You noticed him looking at you.

“What?” you asked, a bit defensive.

“Um, can, can I kiss you?” he asked anxiously, sure you’d say no.

“Yeah,” was all you could think to say.

And he kissed you, and honestly you had no clue what you were doing, you just knew this was right, somehow. You pulled back eventually, your face bright red. Jeremy noticed and went almost as red as you.

“I’m sorry, was that bad? I don’t really—“ he started to ramble, only to be cut off by you.

“No, it’s just, I’ve never, y’know, done that before,” you admitted.

“Seriously? How?”

“This might shock you, but being who I am, I don’t exactly have a line of guys falling at my feet. Let’s just—watch the movie, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“No Fault In Our Stars references.”

“That’s fair.”

Soon enough the credits rolled around. You couldn’t quite remember when, but at some point, engrossed in the movie, you had slipped your hand into Jeremy’s. Neither of you had let go yet.

“Now that I know you like chick flicks, does this mean you wanna watch The Notebook next time?” you joked as you two walked out of the theatre, your hands still intertwined.

He made a face. “Definitely not.”

You giggled. “Okay, okay,” you said, throwing your free hand up in mock defeat.

“My dad’s gonna drive us back, too.”