Chapter Text
2003, a year gone by.
The boys started their first year of college. They attend different campuses, though they had planned to go to the same one together, but circumstances changed.
Jeremy took up game development, and Michael took up programming. They both shared a dream of working at Nintendo together, and Michael often thought about the benefits that would come with it.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to work at Nintendo?
They often thought about the things they could do for their future, and Michael was no stranger to it. In fact, he had planned to share it with Jeremy since the very beginning.
Jeremy, however, doesn’t know if he can even survive the present most days.
Jeremy was playing the new Kingdom Hearts game that had just come out on his computer in his dorm room. It was the evening, around 8 PM at most. Aside from that, he mindlessly played the game until he heard a chime and a chatbox pop up on his screen.
He paused the game and took a look at who had texted him:
michael420: jerebear! hi!
michael420: i just checked out the new kingdom hearts game, it’s awesome!!
Ah, it was Michael. He must’ve come online whilst Jeremy had been engrossed in the game.
He put his fingers against the keys and began to type:
geeklosrwhatver: hey! how’s it shaking?
michael420: lol, it’s shaking, i guess?
michael420: i’m just playing video games and listening to music, you?
geeklosrwhatver: just playing games too, what are you listening to?
michael420: avril lavigne! she just came out with her new album, have you listened to it?
Jeremy hadn’t listened to it. He was just going with whatever Michael was talking about.
He looked up the song list for the album and settled on a random song:
geeklosrwhatver: sk8er boi is my favourite song on the album
michael420: i really like that song too! my favorite is definitely complicated though
michael420: just something about that song reminds me of you
michael420: anyway, how are you liking game dev classes?
geeklosrwhatver: it’s okay, i always have a lot of work, but i hardly do any of it. prefer to do my own thing instead
michael420: i’m not really surprised, you’ve always been a slacker =p
michael420: you’re lucky though, most of my classes have been boring programming stuff that i already know about
michael420: got any plans tonight?
geeklosrwhatver: i have to go in a few. going to hang out with friends at rich’s dorm
michael420: oh cool. what y’all gonna do?
geeklosrwhatver: just having a few drinks, listening to music and hanging out. do you have plans tonight?
michael420: nope, jake has band practice so i’m just hanging out in my room
geeklosrwhatver: wow, band practice? sounds like a tool
michael420: haha, yeah, he’s a little weird but he’s a great boyfriend
michael420: we’ve been dating for a couple months now.
…
Oh.
Jeremy felt sick to his stomach. He didn’t know why. He should be happy for his best friend.
So, why wasn’t he?
He didn’t get it. Why Jake? What’s so special about him? He knew that Jake had used Christine and Chloe in the past when it came to relationships.
Was he using Michael?
Jeremy began to worry but acted as if he didn’t care about it. He should be happy for Michael, so he might as well be.
geeklosrwhatver: yeah whatever. how did you two get together?
michael420: well, remember that grad party at jake’s house we went to last year?
michael420: while i was there, jake took me to somewhere private and told me how he felt.
michael420: at first i thought it was really weird, but after a while i realized it was kind of brave.
michael420: we started talking again over the summer and realized we were going to the same school
michael420: once we got here we just kind of hit it off
geeklosrwhatver: so, is he your best friend?
michael420: of course not! you’re my best friend and you always will be =D
michael420: but he really is the best
michael420: i mean, sometimes he can be a jerk, but when it’s good, it’s really good.
Jeremy swallowed his anxiety. He wasn’t sure whether to rip the band-aid off and ask the question or not.
After a couple of minutes of debating, Jeremy took a shaky breath and began typing up a message:
geeklosrwhatver: is jake ever mean to you?
michael420: he can get pretty nasty when we argue but that’s it.
michael420: we’re both very stubborn people so we can go back and forth alot.
michael420: but like i said, when things are good they’re really good
Jeremy couldn’t help but feel an ungodly amount of anxiety. He knew exactly what Jake was doing, using Michael to the point of hurting him.
He had the overwhelming urge to storm over to Michael’s campus and give him a hug he had been longing for, but he didn’t.
It’s not his business who Michael dates.
geeklosrwhatver: michael, you deserve better than that.
michael420: jerebear, i love you, but
michael420: i think you’re blowing it out of proportion. he’s not abusive or anything
Jeremy was probably overthinking things, but he had a feeling in his gut that things weren’t alright with the couple.
geeklosrwhatver: okay, just know that i really care
He stopped typing and stared at the message briefly before deleting the draft.
geeklosrwhatver: okay, just know that there are people who really care about you
michael420: listen, i think we’re fine. i don’t want to talk about this anymore.
Jeremy was on the edge of bursting into tears. He just wanted to protect the only person whom he truly loved.
But if Michael says they’re fine, then…
He swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed.
geeklosrwhatver: i’m sorry. i just want you to be happy.
michael420: but i am happy! i promise!
michael420: wowie, it’s getting late! you need to go see your friends, don’t you?
geeklosrwhatver: i mean, i can stay
michael420: hehe, that’s very nice of you but i don’t want you to miss anything. i’ll ttyl!! =]
geeklosrwhatver: okay, later
Michael quickly set his status to away and hopped off for the night.
Jeremy pinched his nose and groaned in frustration. Michael had always refused to accept help and allow himself to be vulnerable in front of people, so it wasn’t anything new. The reason why he cared so much about his relationship with Jake is because he knows that he will get hurt in the end.
It seems like that is the likely outcome for him.
Jeremy took a deep breath and composed himself. He quickly saved the game and turned it off before setting his status on AIM to away.
He got up from his desk and put his cardigan on, turned the lights off, and left his dorm.
He’ll think about it another day.
michael420 is away.