Work Text:
People keep leaving Jeremy.
It’s getting kind of predictable at this point.
First it was his mom, Jeremy felt relieved when she finally left, then crushing guilt at feeling relief that his mother had abandoned him.
Sure, she threw bottles around and drank too much and slit her wrists as a threat and yelled at his dad and hit him and once held Jeremy in a choke hold threatening to kill him if he didn’t ‘go back to being a girl’. But she was still his mom.
She left without a word. The previous day’s yelling still fresh in their minds as they watched her stomp through the doorway and out into the world. Never to return. That’s when his dad started to leave too.
It was small at first. A missed lunch here, a forgotten promise there, but his dad started to grow distant, always staying up late and sleeping in until the sun was high in the sky. But it was fine. Everything was fine.
Jeremy can pack his own lunch. Jeremy can take the bus to school. Jeremy can do the laundry. Jeremy can order the takeout. It’s fine. He’s old enough. He’s being so independent, his mom would be proud. Everything’s fine.
And then there’s Michael.
Michael who’s been with him through it all. Michael who watched his mom leave and his dad leave and stuck by him despite it. Michael who calms him down when he gets anxious and cheers him up when he gets sad and gets excited over 7/11 slushies and expired sodas and World of Warcraft and consoles older than he is.
Michael who was so good. Too good. Too good for Jeremy.
Jeremy who was left behind and anxious and dumb and stupid and wrong and terrible .
Jeremy who had a choice to make
First his mom, then his dad, but Michael would never leave Jeremy - not if Jeremy left him first.
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