player one, player two: be more chill

player one, player two

"where's michael been lately? he hasn't shown up for any of his classes." christine asks jeremy, sitting down next to him.
"play it off. you don't care."
"not sure. nothing to worry about though. he's fine." jeremy shrugs. christine was very clearly dissatisfied with jeremy's response.
"change the topic. don't press any further."
"um. so... how're your lines for the play coming along?"
"pretty good, actually. it sucks we aren't doing the actual shakespeare play but the modernized version is okay."
jeremy nodded. the bell rang through the school. christine got up. "see you at play rehearsal?" jeremy asks. christine smiled her soft, gentle smile.
"play rehearsal." she nodded before walking away.
---
"... even if i have to take over the entire student body to do it!"
the spotlight flips on, the other lights dimming. michael stood at the top of the stage, eagerly looking around. michael stares directly at the student managing the lights. he motioned for them to cut the lights. the lights returned back to normal. michael spotted jeremy. he ran over.
"jeremy! rich just texted me you needed mountain dew red!" michael says quickly. jeremy's eyes go wide and his face goes red.
"mich-" the squip zapped jeremy. jeremy yelped.
jenna came up behind michael, pulling him backstage. michael squirms, trying to escape but his attempts fail. he drops the mountain dew red behind him. jeremy tries to run after him but he ends up stuck to the ground. the mountain dew red rolls to the edge of the wing. the squip pulls jeremy off stage just as christine goes on. jeremy watches in horror as christine holds a vial with the serum.
"vocal cords: blocked"
jeremy's voice cuts out as he tries to warn her. he turns to face brooke and chloe, holding the mountain dew red bottle. he turns back to christine as she chugs the liquid in the vial. her face scrunches up before she screams, falling to the ground.
"i just want you to know, i'm not mad you broke my heart and slept with my best friend." brooke says, opening the bottle.
"and, i'm not mad you dated my best friend and wouldn't sleep with me." chloe says, grabbing the bottle.
"he didn't sleep with you?!"
"no!"
"he didn't sleep with me!"
"no!" brooke grabs the bottle.
"brooke! hand me the bottle!" jeremy yells.
"up, up, down, down, left, right, a."
brooke makes eye contact with the squip before dropping the bottle. the liquid floods out of the bottle. jeremy picks up the remains. jeremy holds the bottle to where it almost touches his lips but is held back.
"you don't want to drink that, jeremy!"
"why?!"
"because then you'll never be with her!"
"i don't want to be with christine! you know that!" jeremy says, pounding his fists to the ground. the liquid in the bottle sloshes around. it moves from one side to the other. some liquid falls out of the bottle leaving even less and less of a chance for survival. he starts crying right then and there. he stares at the ground, unable to look up. jeremy feels a full panic attack at it's peak. the feeling of horror that won't go down.
"not christine."
"jeremy," a pair of white shoes approach him.
"michael...?" jeremy mutters. "but he's not..."
jeremy looks at michael but it doesn't look like michael. his eyes were different. there was obvious pain inside of them but it was hidden by happiness. michael looked like he was fighting. jeremy swore he saw a tear welling up in his eye.
"she."
"thank you, jeremy. i think i'm finally ready to stop pretending to be i'm something i'm not." he says, flinching while helping jeremy stand. "just put the mountain dew down. we can be together. that's what you want, right?"
"no. michael..." jeremy turns to his squip. "no! pick someone else! it can't be michael! he doesn't deserve this!"
"i can't help how you feel, jeremy. she's the only one."
"stop calling michael, 'she'!" jeremy yells through his tears.
"that's who she is, jeremy. i can't help it."
"you don't know how he feels! you don't know him like i do! michael hated her!"
"jeremy," michael smiles. "you're my player two. remember? we're never not going to be a team. i can be whatever you want! i'll do whatever you want."
"stop it! stop it! just let me out! this isn't what i wanted!" jeremy sobs. he stares at his squip. "michael was the last thing i had hope in! you took him away from me!"
"she's not your's yet jeremy. that was your cue."
"i don't want her! i want michael! the one who wears a big, red, smelly jacket that he never bothers to wash. the one with the round, nerdy glasses. the one who plays video games with me and talks to me on the phone at one am. the one who throws controllers and jumps when they win a game. the one i've known since i was eight years old! the one who caught me at the end of the slide! who pushed me on the swings!"
the squip showed no emotions. no trace of sympathy. no traces of sadness, or happiness.
jeremy turns back to michael. jeremy's heart was pounding so hard he felt it in his head. he feels physical pain in his back and his chest. his heart ached. flashes of the mountain dew red float through his mind. he stares down at the small bit left. most of it fell out when jeremy broke down. he picks up the bottle.
"i want michael back." jeremy hands him the bottle. michael flinches. he takes the bottle, drinking it. jeremy feels a sharp pain go through his head before he hears screams come in canon. he lists off hearing every voice of every person who was squiped. he never heard his own voice but he could faintly hear michael as he slipped away.
---
jeremy woke up to a bright light with a white ceiling fan right above him. he tried to sit up but felt a pain in his head.
"hurts like hell, right?" someone asks.
"rich?" jeremy asks.
"yeah. that's me. i thought i was bad getting you squipped but then i hear you got the whole cast squipped." rich whistles. "at least he's gone now."
"that was crazy. it doesn't even feel real." jeremy mutters.
"everyone else seems okay. i was allowed to get up once to see everyone. jenna, chloe, brooke, jake, and christine are already released. mr. reyes has no recollection of any of it... old man. um... what's his face? headphones? he's still here. somewhere. i think he stuck around to see you. he's in the waiting room."
"michael! i have to see him." jeremy says, sitting up.
"your dad, i think, has been coming in every few minutes to check on you. he said he'd send michael in as soon as you were okay." rich says, he looks up. "speak of the devil. mr. heere! jeremy wants to see michael! no, you come in first then bring michael."
"jeremy?" his dad walks in. he looks at jeremy before running over. he sits down next to jeremy's bed. he moves jeremy's hair out of his face. "i'm so sorry. michael explained everything."
"i'm sorry too, dad." jeremy scratches the back of his neck. "i shouldn't have trusted a micro-computer to help me ask out the girl i like."
"well, michael explained that too." jeremy's dad smiles. "you could've told me."
"told you what?"
"you know. anything. maybe something like, 'i'm gay' or 'is it weird i want to kiss my best friend?'"
"dad!" jeremy exclaimed while his dad laughed.
"speaking of michael, he wants to see you." jeremy's dad says, standing up. "do you want to see him now?"
jeremy takes a deep breath, nodding. jeremy's dad smiles, patting jeremy's arm. "ten-hut."
"you've got michael wrapped around your finger, you realize that, right?" rich laughs, jeremy shakes his head.
then he was there. stood in the doorframe with his toes pointed inward. he was fidgeting and lightly chewing the inside of this mouth. he looked shaken up.
old habits die hard. jeremy thought. he hasn't stood like that in years. not since he's told me. he always had noticeable differences when he got nervous.
rich pulled the curtain to separate them closed. michael stepped inside, his eyes meeting jeremy's. his eyes has a glint of fear but were beaming with relief. michael walked towards jeremy slowly, but steadily. he sat down next to him on the chair.
"are you okay?" jeremy asks michael. michael sits for a second before letting out a laugh.
"i should be asking you that." michael says.
"yeah, yeah, i'm fine. i care more about you." jeremy says, staring down at his hands in his lap.
"you shouldn't." michael mutters. "you had a little micro-computer in your head that told you what to do." michael laughs a little.
"and you had one that tried to convince you that the way you felt was wrong." michael flinched.
"it doesn't matter anymore." michael says. "i'm fine now." he smiles. they sat in a brief moment of silence before jeremy's face scrunches up and tears fall out.
"you really scared me back there." jeremy says, his breath breaking pattern. michael takes jeremy's hand.
"stop worrying about me, okay? i'm michael. nothing can change that. not even a transphobic little-"
"michael, michael, michael. it's going to start causing me physical pain. this whole thing is causing me pain. please." jeremy laughs. michael joins in before his face lights up.
michael looks up at jeremy. "tell me, honestly. it's me? you like me, not christine?"
jeremy stares at him for a second.
there's no going back after. but he deserves to know.
"yeah. i have for a while. i just didn't realize it." jeremy admits. he painfully awaits michael's reaction. jeremy continued staring at his hands before he felt it.
michael's lips pressed up to jeremy's cheek. it sent bursts of little tingles through his whole face. his hands got sweaty and his face went red. michael laughed.
"i have for a while and thought you were straight."
"i could say the same for you." michael looks at him. "okay, yeah, i have never thought you were straight."
"thank you very much." michael smiles. "i've worked very hard to build up this reputation and this look. i would be offended if you didn't notice the pride flag on my sleeve." michael shows off the patch with pride.
"hey, you have some new ones! like that one!" jeremy points at a circle patch on michael's left chest. michael stares at him. "fine! i admit, i stare at you a lot. and i do take note of your patches."
"do you even know which on this is?" michael points to the one jeremy pointed out. "it's the transgender pride flag. my mom finally bought it for me. she was way more open to buy the pride flag."
"and you put it right over your heart." jeremy stares at it in awe. "and of course i know that's the transgender flag. what kind of friend would i be if i didn't learn about you."
"it's actually pretty sweet you did that."
"i watched a documentary and i asked a professional doctor when my dad forced me to get a flu shot and-" jeremy cuts his rambling off. "i could've just asked you about it all along but i'm a stubborn person."
"yeah, you could've but it's the thought that counts." michael smiles.
"i should put a patch on my jacket." jeremy says, making a box shape with his hands, placing it over his left chest. "whaddya think? i get one that says, "player one" and i'll get you one that says, "player two"?"
"perfect."
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