Chapter Text
Michael makes an entrance into Jeremy’s hospital room just before he wakes up. He has a backpack filled with mountain dew red and all of his research just in case
Back here so soon Michael? Michael's squip says smiling cruelty. Nothing like Jeremy at all. You know he's not going to wake up. Not until I've achieved full control.”
Well, he isn’t awake yet! As long as I can get this Mountain Dew Red in his system before he wakes up, this whole hive-mind will shut down. I’ve done enough research by hacking you I might add to know how this works
If possible the squip's grin becomes broader, "I know what you're doing Michael. I let you. You wouldn't dare harm me, not whilst I have Jeremy" I know that if there’s one thing you can’t do, it's to induce physical harm on someone. I haven’t upgraded, so the only neural networks you have access to are my tear ducts and my memory. The parts of my memory you can't access, however, are the ones I’ve programmed you to ignore. For Jeremy, you can control his muscle networks and voice on occasion, but you can’t override his natural reflexes. I’ve thought this out, you know. Michael starts pulling the Mountain Dew Red out of his backpack.
The Jeremy squip visibly stiffens. Michael think about this. You've no idea what that'll do to Jeremy. You could make his condition worse. At that the casual beeping that signified Jeremy's heart beat suddenly speeds up. You know for sure I can't hurt you but what about Jeremy? All of a sudden the squip looks relaxed again. You're willing to selfishly rush his life? For what? Take him away from the one true happiness he has. In there, the squip gestures at Jeremy's head, he's happy. Why are you trying to take that away from him? Because I know he isn’t happy. If—no, when—he comes back and realizes he caused all of this, he’ll be devastated. He was the last person in the play to have free will, all because his defective squip synced with the others and corrupted their programming. He isn’t happy. He might think he is, but he’s not. I know him.
The squip sighs as if it's disappointed, oh Michael, why can't you just accept, everyone is happier now. You're the odd one out, you're the freak, you're the loser. Jeremy has finally moved on from that, why can't you? The squip gazes at the defiant Michael with a sorrowful expression. One that almost looks like Jeremy's face when Michael stole and broke Jeremy’s Atari.
Michael looks between the SQUIP and Jeremy. Something comes to mind as he looks at the SQUIP’s expression.
*Flashback, flashback, flashback*
”Michael! My vintage Atari!! What happened???” Jeremy looked between Michael and the newly mangled console in his hand. Well, what once was a console.
“I’m sorry Jer! I tried to play it and your cat came in and I started petting her and got distracted and stepped on—“ Michael started to ramble, but Jeremy cut him off.:
“It’s fine. I’ll just save up again!” Jeremy sounded cheerful but the expression on his face gave him away.
“I have an idea! What if I get you another one for your birthday in two weeks?” Michael tried to sound happy but his voice cracked. He felt really bad for breaking it.
“You’d spend that much money for me? but aren’t you saving up for a—“ Michael interrupts
“It’s fine Jeremy, you deserve it!”
Jeremy’s expression changed from sad to what seemed sadder. Tears were coming out of his eyes.
“I’m sorry Jer did I say something wr—“ Michael was cut off by getting tackled in a hug.
“Thank you so much Michael,” Jeremy mumbled between sniffles. Michael pat his back.
“It’s nothing dude! really!” Michael gave him a bigger hug when he heard Jeremy cry harder. “Hey, I have an idea! Let’s make a deal.”
Jeremy nodded for him to go on.
“Whenever one of us makes the other sad, we have to buy the other a slurpee. I’ll buy you blue raspberry if it’s a normal sad, but I’ll buy you the cotton candy flavor from two towns away if it’s an extra sad. You’ll get me cherry for normal and piña colada for extra!”
Jeremy lit up at the mention of apology slurpees. “Deal!” They dramatically shook hands and forgot all about the Atari. At least, until Michael blew his savings to buy 3 Ataris so that Jeremy always had a replacement.
*Enddddd*
The SQUIP puts a hand on Michael's shoulder, I may not know exactly what you're thinking but with access to Jeremy's memories I can predict. You never made him happy, not really. Not as happy as I can make him. It fights Michael's memories with Jeremy's fake ones.
*An insight to a sleeping Jeremy’s mind*
Jeremy's lounging in the sun, next to a pool in nothing but his swim trunks, he's fitter than before, he has the body he always wanted to have, muscly and perfect. The squip knows Jeremy's insecurities and how to eradicate them. Christine is sat on his lap, wearing a yellow bikini and saying something, moving her hands about to illustrate her words. Jeremy smiles and laughs. Christine pushes him playfully, they both burst out laughing. Rich walks by, grinning, attached to his arm is Brooke. She's smiling and whispering something into Rich's ear. He nods at her. She runs off and pushes Jeremy and Christine into the pool. Rich runs up behind her and pushes her in, then dive bombs in herself.
Jake walks up. He looks noticeably different to in real life, less tall, Jeremy could easily overpower him in a fight. Chloe is walking next to him. They're both smiling as if their having a lovely conversation. When they spot the others in the pool they run over.
"Hey dude," Jake says.
"Hi," Jeremy replies looking happier than Michael had seen it in a long time
"I see you finally convinced Christene to come,"
"Well we've been so busy lately with the new play and tests, I knew we would need a break soon."
"I heard you're the lead role." Jake raises an eyebrow.
Jeremy laughs, "you'll have to find out when you watch it."
"Worth a shot," Jake grins.
Rich swims over and splashes them both, "what on earth could you guys be talking about that's more important than right now?"
Jeremy looks over to see the girls splashing each other and shrieking with laughter.
He laughs and joins in.
After a long match of splashing each other one of the waves get too high and Christine is hit directly in the face with a float. It hits her with a dull, "thwack" sound. Everyone goes quiet and looks at Jeremy.
Jeremy himself is calm. He swims over to Christine, who's cradling her face, and guides her out the pool. Everyone watches in silence until he waves at them.
Jeremy and Christine stand in a fancy kitchen, one wall is just a window overlooking beautiful scenery. Jeremy opens one of the draws, it's stocked to the brim with medical supplies and pulls out a plaster.
"Where are you hurt?' he asks in the kindest voice.
Christine lifts her hands to reveal a nosebleed. Jeremy puts down the plaster and gets a tissue. He starts dabbing her nose.
When the blood stops he uses a different tissue to wipe away her tears, "what's wrong?' he asks. Still in that softest of soft voice.
"S-sorry, it just surprised me that's all. I j-just ruined a perfect evening." Christine sobs.
"Nonsense," Jeremy soothes, "you didn't ruin anything, I love you for who you are, flaws and all.
Christine smiles, stands on her tiptoes and kisses Jeremy. The kiss starts to grow deeper.
*The images cut off*
So Michael do you really think you can make him happier than that. He has respect, he has status and he has Christine. None of these things you could give him. the only thing he doesn't have is you. The squip grins cruelly and it doesn't suit Jeremy's face, the face it uses because it knows that Jeremy's never waking up. That there's no way for Michael to get confused.
Michael looks at the squip with sorrow in his eyes. He then looks back at Jeremy, lying there on the brink of death. The squip is what did this to him and even if Jeremy hates him forever, he has to do this. “deactivate,” Michael says. The squip vanishes. Michael looks back to Jeremy and thinks about their deal. The part Jeremy added at the end.
~•~*Back to flachback*~•~
”And if one of us brings the other the extra sad slurpee and a new Atari game, we have to forgive the other. For you, it has to be in the traditional game genre like PacMan and Mario, but for me, it has to be the OBVIOUSLY BETTER genre like Apocalypse of the Damned!” Jeremy was bouncing in his seat. Michael smiled at him.
“Deal!” They shook hands again and went back to the game they had been playing before the Atari incident.
~•~*End*~•~
Michael grits his teeth. He pulls out a mint-condition vintage game case and selects the game he’d been planning on giving Jeremy for his birthday before the squip, Apocalypse of the Damned 2. Jeremy and Michael hadn’t really liked Apocalypse of the Damned for a while, but they still played it because they thought the other did.
Michael grabs the Mountain Dew Red and opens it. He moves Jeremy’s hospital bed so that he’s sitting up enough to swallow. Michael opens Jeremy’s mouth and pours it in, shutting his mouth and tilting his head up so he’s forced to swallow. The drink goes down Jeremy’s throat and Michael feels a sharp pain in his head as Jeremy opens his eyes.
Jeremy's eyes open, his gaze locks on Michael's. His eyes show sorrow and remorse. Then the moment is broken by screams that echo down the corridor. Jeremy watches Michael cover his ears and tries to do the same but after such a long time asleep his arms didn't seem to want to move. All he achieves is wiggling his fingers slightly.
The screams grow louder and he realizes that he is screaming to. He feels a sharp pain in his head as if someone was pounding against his skull with a sledge hammer. He felt as if his skull was going to split in two.
Michael wakes up in a bed, a hospital bed, to be specific. His head is throbbing, but it’s not as bad as Jeremy’s. Michael never upgraded, so his squip deactivated easily. But Jeremy’s was linked to pretty much every neural passage.
Michael looked over his shoulder and saw Jeremy sitting up in his bed. “Jeremy!” he calls to him, unable to conceal the hope in his voice, is it finally over? Jeremy looks over at him with tears in his eyes.
"I-it's you!" Jeremy exclaims. His eyes looking at Michael in wonder, "they guy from my dreams"