Chapter Text
Five months later, at the start of September, everyone was doing so much better. The whole squad was lounging around in Cabin Nine, relaxing before Jeremy and Michael got to go home for a week. Jeremy had to go and collect his now approved service animal, a ferret he called Puck.
Jeremy noted it all down in his red journal, the one he used specifically for future events he was thinking about. Hades was curled up on his lap, Michael was working on a project, and the rest of the group were just lazing around and chatting happily. Jake was munching on some chips (Jeremy was very proud of the improvement).
Finally, Jeremy snapped his book shut and started focusing on Hades. He listened into the conversation properly at last.
“-the last time no, we all know that those guys you keep mentioning are not demigods,” Rich argued, to which Christine whined.
“Seriously? Come on, at least one of them is. You can’t tell me that Will Connolly doesn’t remind you of Aphrodite. His jawline could cut someone.”
“Chrissy, hun, I love you... but no,” Brooke gently chided before placing a kiss to her cheek. Christine deflated then, falling back completely against Brooke. Chloe pretended to fake-gag at the sight.
“I dunno guys, she’s got a point about Connolly. And George Salazar does give off the right sort of chaotic vibe to be a demigod,” he added with a grin, shooting Christine a playful wink.
Michael held out a hand behind him, clicking twice and making a circle with his finger. Jake handed him a number two Phillips head screwdriver without thinking.
“It’s still kinda freaky how you know that, Jakey.” Brooke pretended to shiver.
“Well I can’t do it. I’ve got Hades on my lap. And Rich has got Sbarro.” Sbarro was currently poking his head through the special window to his stable, enjoying being stroked by Rich while they all chatted. He had grown to almost full size by now, so he had his own little areas added on to the back of the cabin instead.
“Still, freaky. Useful, but freaky.” Brooke tried to peer over at where Michael was working on his bed. “What even is he working on? You’ve been hiding him, Jerry!”
“Because he wants it to be kept a secret, Brookie,” Jake told her, sticking out his tongue before finishing off the cookie he had. “Respect the man’s wishes.”
“I do, but-“
“You’ll find out later, but we need to talk about the fact that Jeremy agrees with me and that George Salazar could probably totally be a demigod! What if he gets Claimed one day? What if he came to Camp-“
“No, Chrissy,” Rich interrupted with a chuckle. “Just both of you… stop it.” Sbarro snorted and let out a whistle.
“I feel so betrayed by you both,” Jeremy gasped, looking between them. Hades whined playfully in agreement.
“You’re crushing my hopes and dreams of one day meeting George Salazar!”
“You could go see a show he’s in and go to the stage door, he’s nice and almost always go to the signings,” Brooke pointed out, to which Christine huffed and crossed her arms.
“Not helping my point, Brookie.” Brooke just shrugged with an innocent smile. Jeremy had to do his best not to smile, knowing Brooke had somehow managed to get tickets by doing an insane amount of chores for Dustin to get front-row seats next month for a musical he was in.
Jenna came in then (she and everyone else in the squad were able to come in and out now as well, thanks Hephaestus), phone away. “Hey, I got the beads early for Jeremy and Michael. Also, did you manage to finish making it?”
Michael sat up straight then, practically glowing with pride as he held out... a phone? “Here you go, already synched everything up with your old phone. Indestructible, the battery will never drain, and with a case that changes to whatever you want it to look like. If there are any bugs, let me know. It’s the first time I’ve ever worked with hardware like this.”
Jeremy grinned proudly at everyone else’s shocked faces. He bumped Michael’s shoulder with his own. “Well done, you. Already inputted our most recent report?” he asked with a grin.
Jenna tapped away at her phone and hummed. “Yup, he did. Mikey, thank you very much. I hate coming back to classes and getting behind on new stuff, I’ll scroll through this while you guys admire the beads for this summer. You’ll miss the official ceremony of handing them out, but I’m sure Jake will update you guys on it when he picks you up after your week at home.”
“You know it,” Jake confirmed before munching on another cookie. With a nod, Jenna dropped the beads into Jeremy’s open hand before plopping down on her bed and scrolling.
Jeremy studied the bead design carefully. It was a beautiful ombré of orange and yellow, with a small green vine and a music note. Little red flowers were dotted along the vine. It was gorgeous, and Jeremy quickly moved to slip it onto his arrowhead necklace (he never took it off).
“Thanks Jen! It’s beautiful,” Jeremy chirped, rolling backwards off the bed and climbing to his feet. “We need to head off soon, don’t we?”
Michael was sure to take his bead from Jeremy before he hopped off the bed, slipping it onto his silver bracelet. Hades hopped off the bed after Jeremy. “Yeah, Chiron wanted me to tell you guys that the car is basically ready for you guys,” Jenna added
“Hell yeah, I finally get to see where you dweebs grew up,” Rich said as he hopped up with Jake. “Even if we’re only dropping you off, I still get to see it. It better not be boring.”
“Well, you can only say so many good things about Jersey,” Michael said with a shrug as he grabbed his backpack and suitcase from under his bed, the same ones they came to Camp with. “Don’t forget your things, Remy.”
Jeremy shuffled Hades off his lap and grabbed his bags from under his bed. They were already packed (he might have been excited). “I won’t Mikey!” He grinned, pressing a quick kiss to Michael’s cheek. “I need to stop by my Cabin to drop off my notebook before we go.”
"Yeah, of course. Don't forget to grab one to use while we're there at least," Michael told him as he went and grabbed Hades' vest and leash.
"We'll meet you two at the car at the bottom of the hill, don't take too long," Jake teased. "We'll see you later, and Jenna, I would love if you could-"
"No."
"You didn't even know what I was going to ask," Jake whined out while Rich snickered before he and Jake left the cabin.
Jeremy took Michael’s hand and they walked out of Cabin Nine. Jeremy looked over the other cabins proudly; while not every god had one, there were a good couple more now standing with the rest, as well as a good few alters too. Each one had been themed nicely (thanks Ari and the Athena cabin), and everyone at camp had just been... happier since they had all been built.
They walked in comfortable silence to the Hades Cabin, which was technically for Persephone too and therefore was Jeremy’s Cabin. He slipped back the red book and pulled out his general black one. “I still love this shelf you built me, Mikey.” He sighed happily, tracing a finger of the designs, as always.
Even if it wasn't the most professionally designed, it was personal and that was what mattered. Jeremy looked at the hand-painted job done, both for the base color purple (to match more of Hades' vibe and to blend their two favorite colors) and the details. Across the four shelves ranged a variety of memories and pieces.
The bottom and biggest shelf, which is where his past memory notebooks (which were blue) were stored, had cress seeds painted along the bottom, from the seed itself to the seed fully blooming. The second shelf, which held the green notebook containing emotions, was decorated with different things they shared: symbols from video games, shows, and even slushies. The third shelf, which held the red future notebooks, was decorated with different godly symbols from their three (yes, Hades was included in that) godly parents. The top shelf, which held the general notebooks, was lined with Michael's handwriting, giving a heart-filled message along with a promise for a future of them, one that gets better with each passing day.
Even if it was simple to build, the painting process made it difficult and tedious, and Michael had it set up so Jeremy would be able to see if when he first came into the Hades cabin after it was built. Well, that’s at least what Michael told him.
"Well, I'm glad. I started making blueprint plans as soon as you talked to me in the showers about what happened and how important the notebooks were to you," Michael admitted, and when he looked back, he saw him rocking on his feet as he glanced away. "I'm still sorry that the paintings suck, but... yeah. I'm glad y'like it still."
“It is literally the best thing ever, Mikey, don’t apologize,” Jeremy chastised him, walking over and wrapping his arms around Michael. “It’s us . And it was made by you . Therefore, I love it.” He kissed Michael’s cheek, grinning up at him a little dazedly.
Michael looked down at him then, smiling before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Well, I'm glad. I thought I'd play off the fact you're finally showing your sappy side, so... Yeah."
Jeremy didn’t reply verbally, instead pulling him down and connecting their lips. It was a short, sweet kiss that was full of unspoken, but well understood, declarations. Jeremy adored Michael, and that had only gotten more prevalent in the months since they had gotten back to camp. It was like every little thing just made him fall a little deeper (oh hello, memory wave, nice to feel you again. Jeremy let it play out in the back of his mind).
After they pulled away from the kiss, Michael looked down, and Jeremy did as well, to see Hades nudging against Michael's leg. "OK, OK, we need to go, I know." Michael squatted down, ruffling Hades' ears (one was floppy, the other wasn't). "Thank you for being such a good boy." A kiss was placed to the top of Hades' head before Michael got up, took Jeremy's hand, and tugged. "C'mon, we should go, but we should stop by Hebe's shrine for a sec or she'll kill us when we come back next week."
Jeremy grinned and rolled his eyes. “No she wouldn’t. She’s been more excited for us to go on this trip than anyone else.” He stashed away his notebook and quickly made his way over to the little alter he set up in the corner. On it were small offerings to his parents, a small thing for Cerberus, and even a little area for Charon. Jeremy made sure there was a fresh lily in place of the dying one for Charon (he kept a pot nearby to grow them when he needed to replace them), a small bone treat for Cerberus, and some new pomegranate scented candles for his parents (they really liked them apparently). When he stood, he nodded to Michael. “Okay, now I’m ready to go.”
"You're such a suck-up," Michael teased, clearly not meaning it as he pressed a kiss to Jeremy's cheek. "Come on." With a gentle tug, they left the cabin and proceeded to head to the newest area past the extended cabins to where there were shrines and altars set up for all the gods and goddesses who did not wish to or currently do not have any children.
Hebe’s shrine was the first one built, and was the most well loved. Jeremy had grown a bunch of vines over it, which bloomed honeysuckle all year round (being a nature boy had its benefits). Michael would leave little trinket and toys he made, Jake would leave little snacks, and even Rich would bring her small offerings of things he thought were pretty (flowers and rocks and stuff).
When they got close, Jeremy and Michael jogged over to it. Jeremy got to work renewing the honeysuckle and Michael pulled a little keyring out of his pocket that he had made for her. “Hey, kiddo. We’re heading off soon but we wanted to come say goodbye first. I’m going to have a new friend when we get back! His name is Puck and he’s going to be my support animal,” Jeremy murmured to the light colored stone as the sweet smell of the flowers started to fill the air again.
"We'll be sure to bring you stuff from there, or at least I will. Jeremy'll probably be too preoccupied with Puck to pay anyone else any attention," Michael teased as he put down the keyring, and he only grinned when Jeremy gently pushed him. "But yeah, we'll bring you some nice things when we get back, and we'll tell you all about what happened. It'd be cool to see you if you aren't too busy going around and helping out the gods you wanna help and learning from them."
Hades barked a few times, and Michael laughed. "Yes, and Hades misses you a lot too, so visit when you can!"
There was a small shimmer of soft, golden light and the key ring vanished, replaced with two little heart-shaped patches. One was a white, grey, black, and purple and the other was pink, purple and blue. When Jeremy picked it up, he saw there were some signs of protection sewn on to the back. They were a little messy and obviously homemade, but Jeremy couldn’t help but grin. “Thanks, kiddo! I love it! I’ll put it on to my jacket as soon as I can. It’ll be in my pocket until then.” Jeremy handed Michael the ace flag one. “I think she did her research, Mikey. Check it out!”
Michael looked over the patch with wide eyes, turning to the shrine and grinning with almost watery eyes. "Thanks, Bebe. I've been looking for a good patch like this, it's exactly what I was looking for. I'm sewing this on as soon as I can too." With that, he tucked it into his zipper pocket and zipped it shut before taking Jeremy's hand. "Now c'mon, or we're gonna have Rich hounding our asses the whole way home."
Jeremy stood up a grinned up at Michael. “Let’s go home,” he agreed, starting to feel a little emotional. This was the first time in a whole year they were going to see their families (godly parents didn’t count this time, Jeremy missed his human dad loads and Michael’s moms just as much) outside of a couple of Iris messages. And his dad didn’t know they were coming, it was going to be a surprise.
He squeezed Michael’s hand before making their way to Half-Blood Hill. Passing the Big House still made Jeremy’s gut clench, and Jeremy knew that Michael would need the contact when they got to Half-Blood Hill.
"So, after we get settled and you fall madly for Puck, what's the first thing you wanna do?" Michael asked him as he silently intertwined their fingers, squeezing Jeremy's hand back. He was obviously trying to distract and also comfort him with the silent issue of passing the Big House, smiling at him all the while.
“I don’t know... I think I just wanna spend time with everyone... Maybe your moms can come around to my place too and we can have a big dinner or something. I dunno. Apparently my sappiness extends to our parents too.” Jeremy shrugged, a sheepish grin on his face. “After that though, I think I wanna go cuddle in your basement. Play some games and just... remember what home used to be.”
"You're going to make me melt before we even get to the car, Remy," Michael whined as he leaned a little against Jeremy, pushing a little bit of his weight against him. "We also need to make a Seven-Eleven run like old times, even if we only do it once. I also wanna drive around in my Cruiser for a bit... I really miss driving around in it, and I know my moms have kept it and made sure it's clean and nice."
“Yup. And I’m sure Hades will love being back in his old bed.” Jeremy didn’t struggle at all under Michael’s weight. He had gotten a lot stronger, almost to the point where he could carry Michael. Not quite yet, but he was getting there. “Actually, that’s a point. How are we gonna do sleeping arrangements since we still can’t sleep alone?” Jeremy asked. “Not that I want to sleep alone, but still,” he added under his breath.
"Easy: we switch off whose house we're at and just sleep together in the same bed. I know our beds are big enough for that," Michael offered before pulling back with a smile. "Our parents can duke it out for whose house we stay at for four days instead of three."
Jeremy giggled. “Oh gods, my dad doesn’t stand a chance against your moms.” He shook his head. They would probably stay at Michael’s place anyways since his moms were expecting them and Jeremy’s dad wasn’t.
The Big House came into view and Jeremy sucked in a sharp breath. He forced his eyes away from the still present but very subtle burn marks on the edge of the porch where Michael had corralled them in. “So, er, maybe we can snag more games while we’re home so we have an even bigger selection. The ones we have are great but they’re still a little unsatisfying.” He knew his distraction was weak, but it was more than he could summon up originally so Jeremy counted that as a win. They weren’t totally over everything yet, but they were better , that’s what counted.
"How dare you insult Super Mario Party. You're just jealous because I always end up winning, no matter who I play as or if it seems like I'm totally gonna lose once the last three turns hit," Michael countered with a pout, clearly going along with this. "Buuut I do want to see the new games that came out and grab some. Like the new Animal Crossing for the Switch. It better have come out or I swear, I'll fly to Nintendo's HQ in Japan and fight Furukawa myself."
“I’m pretty sure it has come out,” Jeremy mused, thinking about the fact that Michael’s moms had purchased the game for Michael as a coming home present. They had called Jeremy specifically so they could ask what to get him. “I’ll grab my Switch as well and get myself a copy. Also I need to check on my Eevee. I’m sure the little guy has missed me!” Sure, he didn’t consider it a normal Pokemon game, but Let’s Go Eevee was too cute to deny.
"Thankfully, I don't think much time has passed for little Eevee, so you don't have to worry too much," Michael teased, gently shoving his shoulder with a grin before they properly passed the Big House and were at the top of Half-Blood Hill.
Michael's grip on Jeremy's hand tightened a little. There were still some spots of grass that weren't matching the rest from the damage done with abusing Hephaestus' power. Jake and Rich were waiting past there though. Rich stood outside the car, back towards them, and face peering into the car where he was definitely talking to Jake.
“Wanna scare Rich?” Jeremy whispered, trying to keep Michael’s focus on him instead of their surroundings. He motioned to Jake, who could probably see him, to not react to them at all.
Jeremy could tell that Jake saw them, but he didn't mention anything to Rich if Rich staying exactly as was was any indicator. Good.
"I... Yeah, sure, he deserves it after calling us dweebs," Michael whispered back, glancing over to look at Jeremy with a shaky smile.
Together they snuck closer, their footsteps silent. Somehow, their backpacks and suitcases didn’t make sound either.
When they were close enough, Jeremy shot Michael a look, and he nodded with a much stronger smile. Pounce in three... two... one... “HI RICH!” they screeched, each wrapping an arm around Rich’s to stop him from hitting them.
Rich let out an ear-piercing scream, almost hypersonic (and somehow Michael didn't get freaked out by it, yay). "Holy shit , I fucking hate you two!" he yelled out as Hades barked, almost matching Rich in volume but certainly not in pitch. "H- Jakey-D , were you in on this?! Traitor!"
Michael laughed as Jake and Rich playfully started arguing. Jeremy could tell his mind was definitely not on their surroundings, but instead was focused on their friends.
Perfect, exactly as planned. “That’s for calling us dweebs, Shortie. Now c’mon. Stephanie and Dalisay are expecting us to be on time .” They really weren’t, but Jeremy was going to have some fun messing with these two. “They’re really fussy about being punctual.”
"There's no way they are with how Maestro c- oh... oh, nevermind," Jake muttered out, turning serious. Even if Michael was more laid-back and relaxed, he was the fussy one about punctuality, always being sure to get somewhere at least fifteen minutes before whatever appointment or event started at the very least. "Rich, c'mon, we gotta get going."
"What? There's no... way... Shit, if they're anything like how you are, Mell- get your asses in the car, toss your stuff into the trunk!" Rich called out, quickly getting in the passenger's seat as the trunk opened, lifting.
Michael raised a brow at Jeremy, clearly trying to not lose it since the window was still rolled down. "Should we tell them it's just me who's like that?" he asked in a hushed whisper as they rounded the car and started putting their stuff away.
“Nah.” Jeremy grinned back. “Let them suffer a little, it won’t hurt them to be a little more aware of the time.” Jake and Rich were a little notorious for being late, so this kick up the ass would be good for them.
Once they had climbed into the car, Michael rattled off his address and settled in, curling around Jeremy in the back seat. Jeremy tucked himself closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Jeremy watched Hades hop up onto the middle console not even a minute after they started driving, enjoying the breeze from the AC running as his tongue hung out. Jake started to drive once he was sure everyone was buckled in, starting to follow directions on the old GPS mounted on the dash of the car.
Jeremy started to doze as he thought about last time he had driven a journey like this. It had been his drive to Camp, with his father in the front and Michael sitting with him, both freaking out because of the harpy attack. Michael had just saved Jeremy’s life for the first time.
They had changed a lot since then, both gotten stronger in many respects and weaker in others. Jeremy still freaked out around most birds. Michael couldn’t conjure a flame any bigger than a football. Neither could be left alone for more than a few minutes. But they had each other and they had their friends and they had an even bigger family than ever.
Jeremy had a boyfriend. His best friend. It was more than he ever thought he’d get. He didn’t have to choose between some woman or someone else and Michael because Michael was the one he loved. Jeremy was wanted. More than that, he was desired and needed and just loved in so many ways it made his head spin. Jeremy wasn’t totally fine yet, but thanks to everyone else, eventually he would be.
After the long drive back (OK, it really wasn't, but Michael was excited to get back home after being gone for basically a year), Michael felt ready to run around, even if he was still an indoorsy kid. Hades definitely seemed the same way, often hopping around in the back of the car and back up onto the the middle console over and over. Joy and excitement bubbled around in him as they passed by the familiar scenery of the other houses leading up to his own.
Finally, Jake pulled into Michael's driveway (right beside his P.T. Cruiser, which was in a better state than when he left it!) and parked, unlocking the doors. Before Jake could say anything, Michael opened the door, dove out, and fell into the bushy grass of his front yard, just taking everything in as he heard Hades barking around and running through the grass.
Jeremy was next him a moment later, laughing happily as he rolled around in the grass a little. “Dude. We’re home . And properly home this time!” He giggled, settling after a moment and lacing their hands together. He sounded breathless and almost in awe, like he couldn’t quite believe it.
Well, it was understandable because Michael couldn’t almost believe it himself! He was grinning and laughing, and he didn’t care if Jake and Rich were prodding fun at them as they did all of this. “We are,” Michael confirmed, squeezing Jeremy’s hand before lifting it and dropping it back down onto the grass a few times. Well, he couldn’t flail his hand around in joy right now, this was the next best thing. “We’re fucking finally home!”
Jeremy looked ready to say something else, but suddenly his eyes were focused slightly upwards, looking at something that was sort of behind Michael. Michael flipped over to look, not letting go of Jeremy’s hand.
Mom stood by the doorway, with Mama right behind her, smiling with tears in their eyes. Hades bolted over to them, pawing them as he whined and wriggled but Michael barely noticed. Instead, he just stayed focused on his moms, almost frozen in place.
“Hey baby,” Mom murmured, voice thick with emotion and barely loud enough to hear. “Hey Jere.”
“Dalisay. Stephanie. I-“ In an instant, Jeremy was tugging Michael to his feet and dragging him over to the couple.
Michael was still a bit shocked, letting himself be dragged over. He looked up at his moms then, and he just broke. Tears flowed freely down his face as he wrapped his arms around both of his parents. He felt them wrap their arms around him too, and Jeremy was definitely dragged into it too. After not properly seeing them for a year and having a quick goodbye, not even a proper one, after suddenly being yanked away, Michael knew he deserved this.
“Shhh, it’s okay baby, I’ve got you. I’ve got you, Michael,” Mom murmured, stroking his hair. It felt like forever ago since he had received this sort of attention, the type that let him feel small and safe again. Mama was wrapped around all of them, Jeremy included, pressing kisses to both of them.
After what felt like forever, Michael finally pulled back, enough to scrub away at his face and hiccup. “I-I missed you guys so damn much.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. His brain was just on a repeat of that, and he didn’t want to be annoying by continually repeating that.
“We’ve missed you too, Mikey,” Mama said, and she signed as she spoke. Mom nodded in agreement.
“How about you two come inside and curl up on the couch, and we can cuddle for a bit. You can tell us everything while you relax,” Mom suggested, starting to guide them inside. “You boys too! If you just leave their bags by the door, we can sort it out later. Please come inside for now,” She didn’t leave much room for argument from Rich and Jake. Michael might have felt embarrassed or guilty normally, but he was just overwhelmingly happy at the moment.
Jeremy giggled and started tugging Michael to the living room. At least one of them was mostly functional. He had no doubt that Jeremy would break down just as badly when they got to his house after.
Michael flopped down on the couch he missed, letting himself sink into the cushions. The last time he had been here, he had been talking with Jeremy over FaceTime. God, that felt like years and years ago.
Hades hopped up, curling right up into his lap while Jeremy curled up beside him. Michael couldn’t help but smile as he watched his moms introduce themselves to Rich and Jake when they came in, dropping their bags and suitcases off. He couldn’t help but laugh a little at how formal both Jake and Rich were, a complete contrast to just a few hours ago.
“Don’t let them fool you, Steph, they’re right assholes normally,” Jeremy teased from where he was curled up against Michael. “It’s a good thing they’re basically our brothers or we wouldn’t put up with them.”
Rich paused, then shrugged, seemingly agreeing with the comment. Jake looked offended. “How dare you slander my good name, Mister Boss Man? I’m delightful!”
“Glad to see you two made some friends then,” Mom noted with a grin, bringing over a few cups of hot chocolate (still piping hot but she had obviously been prepared for their arrival). “They’re... not actually your brothers are they?” she asked with some hesitation. Jeremy burst out laughing, and Rich and Jake giggled too.
“No ma’am. I’m a son of Hermes and Jake here is a son of Apollo. We’ve just been through enough that we might as well be brothers.”
“Yeah, they came with us and were with us during the quest,” Michael explained, and he saw both of his moms’ eyes light up in understanding.
“Ah, I see. Thank you boys for helping me keep our boys safe,” Mama thanked both verbally and through sign while Mom passed out the hot cocoas. Michael happily took his, thanking her before sipping on it.
“They’re both very brave and very heroic. You should be proud. They saved us many times over.” Jake shot them a grin, signing as he spoke. Mama lit up when she realised that Jake could understand her.
“We’re lucky to have met them,” Rich added, his signs a little less refined than Jake’s but clear enough to easily understand.
Jeremy stayed quiet, sipping on his hot cocoa, sniffling a little. Michael remembered that this was the taste of Jeremy’s nectar, the drink he loved more than anything. It made sense he was a little emotional.
Michael wrapped an arm around Jeremy’s shoulder, gently squeezing before smiling back at his moms. “They’re also sucking up big-time to you guys. They can honestly be assholes.” Rich just shrugged and nodded after a moment while Jake looked horrified and betrayed. “What? Its true and you can’t deny it!”
“Oh I know they’re sucking up, but it’s nice they’re making an effort.” Mom winked at Michael, and Rich and Jake both spluttered a little behind her. “Don’t worry boys, we’re all assholes here. You two take the love seat, we can properly get to know each other,” she suggested, taking the recliner and Mama sat on the other side of Michael, wrapping her arm around him and squeezing his shoulder.
Michael smiled up at Mama then, resting his head against her arm for a minute until he needed to drink some more hot cocoa.
As they sat, they all talked. They talked about their journey and time before the quest, about each other, some parts they were OK with discussing from the quest, and their recovery. They talked about the good and bad times, and it went on for a few hours until Jake and Rich had to go. “We have a drive back to Camp, and we need to make it back for dinner,” Jake explained as he got up with Rich.
Jeremy and Michael both stood and grabbed them into a hug. “You guys can meet my vati when you come to pick us up.” Jeremy grinned. “It’ll mean he’s definitely going to be wearing pants at least.
With a final farewell, Rich and Jake left. Suddenly, this felt very different to Michael. It was just like it was another Sunday afternoon, before life got crazy, and he and Jeremy were going to be heading down to the basement to get high or play video games until dinner. He felt tears come unbidden to his eyes, and Jeremy instantly scooped him into a hug. “You too, love?” he murmured, voice thick with his own tears.
Michael nodded, wrapping an arm around him before scrubbing at his eyes with his free hand. He could feel Hades pressing himself against both of their legs. “Well, you two boys should try to unwind and relax while we finish dinner. We’re getting Puck delivered and he’ll be here soon, so just relax until then,” Mom informed them, and Michael nodded. He tried to thank her, but he felt his throat too tight. “Don’t worry baby, you two can just go.”
With a nod, Michael started making his way with Jeremy to the basement, still scrubbing at his face as he hiccuped.
Jeremy seemed to be in a similar state. Still, they navigated the stairs easily, the muscle memory having not faded even slightly as they made their way down.
It hadn’t really changed at all. The biggest difference was the smell. There wasn’t the lingering scent of weed and old soda, but other than that... the bean bags were still thrown haphazardly by the tv, the cables for their consoles all still a tangled mess, and the bed still had his polar bear sheets on it (they looked freshly washed).
Jeremy slowly started to tug Michael over to the beanbags, sitting down in his blue one and looking up at Michael. “You know, if it wasn’t for the new glasses and everything, it’s like nothing changed at all.” He chucked wetly.
“Well, also the back of my hoodie, we’ve both gained some muscle, you’ve accepted your patches and I’ve accepted mine,” Michael listed, partially joking as he looked at his red bean bag.
After a moment of contemplation, he kicked it over to be squished right next to Jeremy’s. It was only a few inches at most that he moved them, but it signified so much more in Michael’s head as he flopped down into his own. He smiled as he looked up at Jeremy, feeling Hades take up part of the room on the beanbag a moment later. “Plus, we can make out down here.” Hades instantly jumped off his beanbag then, and Michael couldn’t help but laugh at the playfully disappointed look his dog held.
“I don’t know why he’d expect anything different.” Jeremy chuckled, watching Hades wander over to his own pillow a few feet away and purposefully curl up so he was facing away from them.
Jeremy scooted closer to Michael, still staying on his own beanbag, eyes bright and focused. “This right here feels safer than any place we’ve been. Can... can you kiss me and try touching my back?” Jeremy still struggled with certain touches when they were being intimate, so that was a big request coming from him. His back, under his shirt and around his ribs, was one of them. He must have be feeling really relaxed and calm to even consider that.
Michael smiled and nodded. “Of course. If there’s anything making you feel icky, just tap my arm twice,” he reminded Jeremy before leaning down, carefully capturing his lips in a kiss. He started off slow because he was struggling just readjusting, realizing properly that he was home . As he let the kiss get a little deeper, he slowly moved his arm, touching his back gently, carefully, while his other went to rest against the nape of his neck.
Jeremy was tense for a moment but slowly relaxed, kissing back more and more as time went on. He wrapped his arms around Michael, holding him close, and one hand reached up and tangled in his hair.
After a while (Michael was losing track of any semblance of time), they separated to catch their breath. Jeremy took off his own glasses and put them to one side. He then did the same for Michael’s. Finally, he climbed into Michael’s lap and resumed the kiss, both of them now on the red bean bag.
Michael happily kissed Jeremy back, almost getting lost in it completely (he didn't move the hand on his back because that was OK and safe with Jeremy, he wasn't going to accidentally scare or push him too far). He let himself get lost in the movements of constantly kissing him, only pulling back in brief moments to catch his breath before diving back in.
Before he knew it, he heard a knock that he hadn't heard in a year, but it felt like it was only yesterday when he last heard it. "Come on boys, dinner's almost ready and Puck'll be here any minute! Make yourselves presentable enough for the dear!" Mom called out, her tone cheeky, before he heard her walk away.
If you went back a few months, Jeremy might have gotten flustered, but instead he just leant back down and pressed another quick kiss to Michael’s lips. “This was fucking amazing. And we have a whole week to be able to do it again.” Michael couldn’t help but agree, it was amazing. And it didn’t exactly help the fact that he had imagined things like this for years before, never voicing them or letting them get beyond a quick peck.
Jeremy rolled back over to his own bean bag and ran a hand through his hair, trying to fix it. He was flushed and looked more than a little ruffled. It was even more gorgeous a sight than Michael had imagined.
Reaching over, Michael quickly fixed Jeremy's hair for him. "Here, I got you," Michael told him as he smiled. "Also, I wanna do that a lot too, but we need time to do other things like breathe, eat, sleep to list a few." He grinned as he was whapped on the shoulder for his teasing.
After finishing fixing Jeremy's hair (... and waiting a few seconds because he loved running his fingers through Jeremy's hair), he pulled back with a warm smile. "Got yours all done. Can you fix mine please? Equivalent exchange and all."
“You’re a little shit sometimes, but sure.” Jeremy leant up, quickly fixed up Michael’s hair, and pressed a quick kiss to his marked cheek as soon as he was done. Then he slipped Michael’s glasses on for him and stood, putting on his own glasses. “Think we look presentable enough? I mean, this is my first meal with your family as your boyfriend .” He grinned, his tone light and teasing.
"Eh, they'll deal even if we aren't," Michael pointed out, getting up and whistling for Hades. The dog looked over, seemingly surprised that they were done, before hopping up and hurrying up the stairs. Michael scoffed. "Wow, drama king much?"
“Considering who he’s related to, it doesn’t surprise me.” Jeremy chuckled as they made their way upstairs. “I mean, you’ve met my parents. And Cerby is just as dramatic. It makes sense that it was inherited.”
"Does that make you a drama prince?" Michael teased, gently poking at his upper chest as they walked up the stairs. As they walked, Michael made sure to grab Jeremy's hand and press a quick kiss to his knuckles.
“Well duh . I’m dramatic enough to keep up with Chrissy! Plus, with my snappiness exposed, you’ve been hit by a good few grand, romantic gestures! Like the picnic, and the flowers that just happened to appear randomly.” Jeremy shot him a teasing smile, even as his eyes looked as lovestruck as ever. “Besides, I thought you liked all my dramatics.”
“We know we do, from what you just described, Jere,” Mom teased, putting down another plate of food on the table. Jeremy spluttered but quickly recovered.
“Well he deserves the best, so I do my best to give it to him.”
A bit flustered by Jeremy's bluntness at the moment (his emotions were running high after that makeout session, give him a break!), Michael glanced over the table. It took Michael a second to figure out something was out of place when he saw five plates set out of food.
Before he could question anything, there was a knock at the front door. "Oh, that must be Puck! Jere, I know this is gonna be big for you, so just wait here," Mom said with a glimmer of something in her eye as she scurried out to the entryway. Michael put two and two together then, smiling wide as he squeezed Jeremy's hand, even if he didn't know exactly what he was about to be in for.
Jeremy shot him a loving glance, but stiffened when he heard the voices coming from the front door.
“Thanks for the invite, Dalisay. I have to say, it’ll be nice to have a proper meal for on-” Mr. Heere chuckled before freezing, voice dying on his lips as he spotted Jeremy. “Jeremy?”
“Vati!” Jeremy cried, letting go of Michael’s hand and launching himself at his dad. To his credit, Mr. Heere snapped out of his daze, instantly opening his arms and wrapped them around Jeremy, mumbling in German which Michael could only really understand a little of. He watched on happily as Jeremy got his reunion, a little surprised when Mr. Heere held out his arm for Michael to join them. He hadn’t been as close with Mr. Heere as Jeremy was with his moms after all, they spent more time here than at Jeremy’s house.
“You too, Michael. God, I’ve missed you both so much,” he half sobbed.
Well, he still did really miss Mr. Heere, and who was he to turn down a hug from someone he cared for? Michael gladly joined the hug, letting Mr. Heere wrap an arm around him while he wrapped an arm around Mr. Heere and another around Jeremy. He didn’t realize it at first, but after a minute of the hug, he felt tears dripping down his face.
Well, Mr Heere was the closest thing Michael had known to a father for most of his life, so it sort of made sense. A moment later, Mr Heere released everyone and cleared his throat awkwardly. “I- Er- I’ve missed you both a lot.” He patted their shoulders. Jeremy scrubbed at his face and grinned.
“I missed you too, Vati.” He sniffled and looked up at Mr Heere properly. “Now all our mortal family is together.” Jeremy giggled a little at that, scrubbing at his face again. “Should have invited mom and hell dad too, then it would be a proper party.”
“Don’t forget my dad, dude,” Michael said, quickly wiping away at his own face. “They’re busy though.”
“They’ve both visited, it’s fine. They can come for another dinner,” Mama reassured them both verbally and through sign, patting both of their shoulders for a minute after. “I don’t think I’d have enough portions for them all though, I only prepared enough for five. Plus, I think it’s going to be exciting enough with meeting Puck.” As she mentioned that, Mom held up a cage she held a little higher and smiled invitingly.
Jeremy looked over and he grinned. “Hey little guy!” He giggled, stroking the ferret through the cage. Puck nuzzled his fingers. “Can I stroke him properly?” Jeremy asked after a moment. Mom nodded and Jeremy instantly unlatched the cage.
The moment he put his hand inside the cage, Puck sniffed him, dooked a little and scampered up his arm. The fuzzy little noodle settled around Jeremy’s shoulders and nuzzled his cheek, making Jeremy giggle. “I think he might like you, private.” Mr. Heere chuckled.
“Great, now I’m gonna have competition for your attention,” Michael joked, arms on his hips as he playfully pouted. “And now I think both of the animals like you more than me. So unfair.”
Hades instantly nuzzled against him, whimpering as if trying to tell him otherwise. Michael laughed and squatted down, petting Hades and letting the dog lick him and almost drown him in sudden affection. “I was joking, it’s OK.”
“You know Hades adores you. And Sbarro loves you almost more than he loves his dad,” Jeremy pointed out with a giggle, stroking Puck who nuzzled his cheek again. Mr Heere made a confused sound, and Mama quickly explained about the situation with the hippogriff.
Meanwhile, Jeremy knelt down next to Michael and kissed his temple (one of the only places not being kissed by Hades). “Besides, you’re never going to have to compete for my attention.” Puck dooked again and, after sniffing Michael and Hades, sort of booped the dog with his nose (and earned himself a little lick in return) and nuzzled Michael’s cheek. “Friendly little bastard, aren’t you?” Jeremy cooed fondly.
Michael laughed a little at that, reaching over and gently scratching Puck before letting him resettle on Jeremy’s shoulder. “Hey, he’s friendly and that’s what matters. I’m glad he likes me. I don’t know what I’d do if he didn’t.”
“Well, now that we’re all introduced, let’s eat! I didn’t bust my ass just so it could all get cold,” Mom said, and Michael looked over with a laugh.
“Sorry Mom.” Michael looked over at Jeremy, getting up and helping him stand.
They both quickly rushed over to the sink and washed their hands. Jeremy kept giggling because Puck had very firmly settled himself on his shoulders and was not moving for anything.
Once everyone was settled around Jeremy and his dad started catching up. Mom and Mama listened in and added their own two-cents about everything. It was... peaceful. A brilliant sort of happy peaceful and Michael loved it. (He also loved the fact that Jeremy kept kissing his cheek to settle himself whenever he got to a hard point in his ramblings, but that was another matter.)
Besides the very obvious changes (him and Jeremy dating! Also the developing vitiligo, his own burns, the new pet, and Mr. Heere choosing to wear pants), things were different. Yeah, maybe it wasn’t the best that he and Jeremy couldn’t go minutes without someone being with them, that Jeremy went into a panic if he couldn’t instantly take out his notebook when looking for it, or that there had been moments where the only person who could calm Michael down was Sbarro.
They were recovering though. Jake was getting better with his eating. Rich was learning to forgive himself and say sorry less. Jeremy could ground himself in the now, and he had his own service animal to help him do it. Michael was growing to know he wasn’t alone anymore.
Were there other problems that were shaky at best? Of course, like the fact Michael had to have people with him at the Camp’s bonfire to give scraps of food to his dad and that it became a whole process, but things were improving, slowly but surely. As he looked around again at the table of part of his family, knowing the rest were having a grand time at Camp or jamming out to some tunes on the way back there, Michael couldn’t help but join in the conversation at the table.
Wherever he was, Michael sent a quick thanks to his dad. After all, none of this would’ve happened without him. With that in mind, he happily ate some of Mom’s cooking and gave Jeremy his own kiss on the cheek, grinning lovingly at him as he happily settled into conversation.
This was perfect, and Michael wouldn’t change anything.