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Jeremy walked into school and looked around for Micheal. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find him or not. But before he could make up his mind, Micheal slammed into him.
“Ah, shit, sorry I di- oh! Hey Jeremy!” Jeremy shook his head to clear it.
“Hey Micheal,” Jeremy said gently, brushing the snow off his shoulders. He blinked, trying to force the long lasting tired feeling away.
“You’re covered in snow? Did you walk to school today?” Micheal asked, pushing his glasses up his nose and looking at his shivering beanpole of a boyfriend.
“Yeah. I missed the bus. Again. I got like, no sleep last night,” Jeremy shrugged. He couldn’t lie to himself though. He was exhausted. He so desperately wanted to rest his head on Micheal’s arm, but he had the sneaking suspicion he’d been coming down with something for the past few days, and didn’t want to take the risk of passing it to Micheal. So he kept his head up and looked straight down the hall. Micheal softly touched Jeremy’s hand, and Jeremy gave in and took Micheal’s fingers and intertwined them with his own. Jeremy groaned softly and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.
“Is something wrong? Micheal asked him.
“Nah. I’m just tired.” Just as Jeremy finished, a chill ran up his back and he shuddered.
“Hm,” Micheal said, thinking. Suddenly the bell rang startling them both. Micheal let go of Jeremy’s hand and Jeremy seemed to shrink at the sudden loss of touch. Micheal took his jacket off and threw it to Jeremy.
“Wha-?” Jeremy started.
“Take it. You look cold. You just walked all the way to school in the snow. I’ll see you later, Jer,” Micheal said. He ran his hand through Jeremy’s hair before turning and walking away. Jeremy put Micheal’s jacket on and let the sleeves fall over his hands, snuggling into the warmth left there by Micheal.
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Sitting through class after class didn’t help with the dull headache Jeremy had been nursing since last night. Not to mention his throat was sore and his mouth was dry and just trying to swallow a sip of water made Jeremy feel like he was trying to drink straight cactus needles. He grimaced and bright his hands up to rub his temples, willing the headache to go the fuck away. There was no denying Jeremy felt like trash, but it wasn’t anything horrible. He could deal with it. At least until the end of the day. Jeremy watched as the clock hit the hour and the bell rang. He picked his backpack up off the back of his chair and left the room, making his way towards the cafeteria.
Sitting down, Jeremy put his backpack on the floor and waved to his other friends. Only Christine really noticed as the other four were deep in some conversation about a party or some other shit.
Micheal came and sat next to Jeremy, one headphone over his left ear.
“Hey, Jeremy,” Micheal said throwing his bag to the floor and dropping onto the bench.
“Hey, Micheal,” Jeremy said smiling softly. Micheal looked at Jeremy’s face. He definitely looked tired. Glossy, half-lidded eyes, rosy cheeks and nose. It was actually really cute, Micheal couldn’t lie. But it didn’t make him worry any less about his boyfriend. “Whatcha lookin’ at?” Jeremy asked. Micheal blinked, startled. He hadn’t even realized he was staring.
“Oh! Nothing, sorry, I zoned out,” Micheal said blinking, hoping there wasn’t a blush on his face. Jeremy pulled Micheal’s jacket off.
“Here. You probably want this back,” Jeremy said, handing the jacket to Micheal. He obviously didn’t want to give it up, but he figured Micheal would want it back now that it had been a few hours since Jeremy had come in from outside. Micheal eyed him.
“Why don’t you just take it for the day. I’ll get it later when I come over to hang out after school,” Micheal said, taking a sip of iced tea.
“Are you sure?” Jeremy asked. Micheal just nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Micheal,” Jeremy said, pulling the sleeves back on. Jeremy rubbed at his eyes. He wasn’t hungry. He hadn’t been hungry for a day. His throat burned and he felt his face becoming congested. He sniffled softly and combed his hair back with his fingers. Giving into exhaustion, he slumped against Micheal’s right arm. Micheal didn’t seem to mind. Jeremy stuck his hand out of the sleeve, curled it into a fist and coughed into it. It sounded like he was trying to muffle it, and it sounded like it might hurt. Once Jeremy had stopped, Micheal put his arm around him, putting a hand on Jeremy’s head and running it through his hair. Jeremy hummed softly.
“Hm. Jer, you feel kinda warm. Are you feeling okay? That coughing sounded like it hurt,” Micheal said. Jeremy shook his head.
“Nah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” And so Micheal left it alone. No matter how much he was certain Jeremy felt warmer than he should, and how awful Jeremy’s coughing sounded. He left it alone. He probably shouldn’t have, but he knew Jeremy was too stubborn to say anything other than “I’m fine”.
At the end of the period, Jeremy blinked a sleepy haze from his eyes and grabbed his backpack off the floor. Swiping at his nose with the back of his hand, he said his goodbyes to his friends and walked off.
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Micheal closed the front door of his house and sent Jeremy a quick text.
To Jeremy- Hey. I’m on my way right now. I’ll be there in ten.
From Jeremy- Okay cool.
Micheal tucked his phone back into his pocket and started for Jeremy’s house.
Micheal didn’t bother to knock when he got there. Both Jeremy and his dad knew he was coming over, so there was no point. Besides. Micheal practically lived at the Heere’s anyway.
“Ah. Hey there, Micheal. Jeremy’s in his room,” Mr. Heere said. “I was called back into the office, so I’ll be heading out in a few.” That’s right. Micheal kept forgetting Jeremy's dad had gotten a job since the SQUIP thing happened. Micheal nodded.
“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Heere,” Micheal said walking towards the staircase.
“Uh, Jeremy seemed kind of tired, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he were asleep, but I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.”
“Mhmm,” Micheal hummed before walking up the stairs. “Hey, Jeremy,” Micheal said. He spotted Jeremy lying in his bed on his back, looking at his phone.
“Hey, Micheal,” Jeremy said, putting his phone down. His voice sounded strained and congested. Micheal frowned slightly. “Your jacket is on the chair, by the way.”
“Jeremy, are you really feeling okay?” Micheal asked, picking his jacket up. “You look exhausted and you sound like shit.” Jeremy just shrugged. Micheal put his bag and jacket on the floor and walked over to Jeremy’s bed. Sitting down next to Jeremy, Micheal could feel warmth spilling off of him. “Dammit, Jeremy,” Micheal sighed. He placed the back of his hand on Jeremy’s forehead. Jeremy looked like he wanted to protest, but was too tired to try. “That’s a fever,” Micheal huffed taking his hand away. Jeremy seemed to give in at that moment. He slumped against Micheal with his entire body.
“Micheal, I feel like shit,” Jeremy mumbled into his arm. Micheal rubbed Jeremy’s shoulder.
“I thought so, Jer,” Micheal said. “Besides the fever, what’s wrong?” Jeremy groaned.
“Ngh. I dunno. My throat hurts and I’ve got a headache. Jus’ feelin’ really achy,” Jeremy mumbled, words slurring towards the end. Now Micheal was no doctor, but he knew what the flu sounded (and felt) like.
“Sounds like the flu, buddy,” Micheal said turning his head to kiss Jeremy on the top of his head, feeling his soft hair tickle his face. Jeremy sighed. “Come on. Lie down.” Jeremy flopped backwards down onto his pillow. Micheal stood and came back with a cool, damp cloth to place over Jeremy’s forehead to bring down the fever and some cold and flu medicine. Jeremy downed the pills with water from a half empty bottle on his nightstand. “Need anything?” Micheal asked. Jeremy shook his head no, and Micheal pulled his shoes off and kicked them to the floor before climbing onto the bed
“What are you doing?” Jeremy asked, voice raspy.
“I am cuddling with you,” Micheal answered matter of factly in his “I’m not taking Jeremy’s bullshit” voice.
“You are going to get sick, Micheal Mell,” Jeremy sighed.
“Nah. I never get sick. Unlike a particular someone...” Micheal joked, poking Jeremy’s shoulder. Jeremy sighed, but there was a soft smile on his lips that Micheal definitely didn’t miss.
“Well, we can’t all be Micheal Mell, now can we?” He asked jokingly.
“No. I guess not,” Micheal sighed. “But you happen to be dating the one and only Micheal Mell, so that makes you the lucky Jeremy Heere, does it not?” Jeremy sighed.
“I guess you do have a point there,” Jeremy murmured, his eyes drifting closed. He quickly turned away from Micheal to cough sharply into his fist. Micheal rubbed Jeremy’s back in a way he hoped was comforting. Which, it had been, apparently, because as soon as Jeremy was able to breathe normally again he relaxed into Micheal’s touch. Eventually his breathing slowed in a way that told Micheal he’d fallen asleep, and then Micheal gave into his own sleepiness and let himself drift off as well.