Jeremy tapped his foot with impatience as he waited for Michael to meet him at the corner of his house like they usually did so they could walk to school. Michael was almost always on time, and was usually there before Jeremy even arrived. It was rare when Michael wouldn't be there before Jeremy, which is why this was worrisome.

Jeremy sighed and pulled out his phone, pulling up his iMessage app, and texting Michael.

Jerbear- Michael?

Jerbear- Where are you??? I've been waiting for like...

Jerbear- forever, where you at?

...

No response.

Jerbear- I'm going to end up leaving without you??

MikeTheBike- Oh, dude sorry, I forgot to tell you I'm home sick today

MikeTheBike- :(

Jeremy frowned, Michael rarely got sick- and even when he was, he'd come to school regardless just to see Jeremy. This thought made Jeremy smile before realizing Michael was sick.

Updated contact name

Jerbear- Feel better soon!! TwT

MikeTheSickBikeSickNotAsInCoolButAsInAchoo- Thanks :)

Jeremy turned his phone off before the writer had to retype that contact name with a sigh as Michael stopped responding, he then looked at the time and yelped, it was 10 minutes until school states and it was a 20 minute walk—

Jeremy booked it down the street, running the best he could, which was his, as Michael would call it, signature dork run, as he unintentionally flailed his arms around with his body leaned forward and legs all over the place.

Despite this form of transportation, it was actually quite an efficient way for Jeremy to run...seeing as how he couldn't really run any other way...no matter how much he practiced...for years...his entire life to be specific...

Regardless.

Jeremy made it to school in no time, the first period bell hadn't even rung yet, "Rad..." Jeremy nodded as he strolled into school, trying not to feel self conscious as he walked through the front doors. Without Michael there, Jeremy felt vulnerable and really uncomfortable.

Jeremy continued down the hall, holding onto his backpack straps tightly and awkwardly as he walked all too quick to his first period, reaching it as fast as he could without stopping and sighing in relief once he was inside its doors.

Jeremy wouldn't publicly admit it, but he was lost without Michael- Literally, it was a miracle that he found his way to his first period at all-
Michael was Jeremy's rock, and once that rock was unexpectedly taken out from under him, he crashed right on his head, all disoriented and unsure how to function. Michael... was always there for Jeremy...Jeremy needed him- especially now.

Jeremy looked in horror at the message on the chalk board when he sat down at his desk.

Your bodies are changing.

Jeremy groaned and slumped his head down on the table, no wonder Michael was sick today- Jeremy was pretty sure he'd be just the same right after this period.

***

After making it through a hellish health class and a nightmare of a school day with a sick Mell, Jeremy, after school, was now making his way to what was Michael's first period class, pausing at the door and hesitating to come in before he heard to muffled voice inside call for him to come in; Jeremy then scrambled to open the door and leaned against the doorway, trying to seem chill but coming off as an awkward geek, which wasn't exactly a lie, "Uh- um- is this...Michael Mell's first um period class?"

"Yes." The teacher nodded.

"Can I...pick up his homework?"

The teacher frowned in confusion, "Why?"

"W-well, you see, he was um, absent today and..." Jeremy trailed off when the teacher put a finger up for silence.

"He was here?" A cock of an eyebrow.

Jeremy's heart lurched in pain, "Wh-what?"

"He was here today- this is his homeroom, I'd be told if he were truant and he was here for all six periods."

Jeremy's heart went from leaping to dropping in an instant, hitting hard and shattering, "Ah- o-okay, cool- I, um, th-thanks anyway!"

"Of course, sweetie." The teacher simply nodded before getting back to work.

Jeremy walked out of the classroom, the door shutting behind him as his head spun and chest ached.
Michael would always be the one to freak out when Jeremy wasn't there- and he had always been the one to find Jeremy before Jeremy found him- now...was Michael avoiding Jeremy?

Jeremy let out a huff of- emotions, he wasn't sure what kind of emotions.

The only time that Michael and Jeremy hadn't hung around nearly...24/7 was- oh no.

Jeremy felt his pace quicken as he exited the school. Had Michael gotten a hold of a squip?

***

By the time Jeremy had made it to Michael's house, he was in total fear mode- Michael was the one who owned all the Mountain Dew: Red, probably the last of it in existence, and if he had a squid- lord, it'd already be gone and the only other way of getting rid of it-

Jeremy let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Rich's car was nowhere to be seen and that Michael's house wasn't at all a smoldering Jake house. However, this didn't completely pacify Jeremy, as Michael still hadn't texted him at all- and usually did so nonstop if one of them was sick- which was rare for Michael...

Jeremy stopped when he reached Michael's door. Was he just being clingy? Was...Michael just needing space? Was Jeremy too much...
He sighed. He ought to give Michael a day, then see what happens, things would most likely just-

"Jeremy!" Mrs.Mell huffed, "There you are!"

Jeremy blinked in surprise before giving a confused, sheepish grin, "O-oh- hi, Mrs.Mell."

"Michael has been a mess all day- could you please go talk to him?" Mrs.Mell frowned.

"A-A mess?"

"He refuses to go school, he won't come out of his room- and his mother is getting worried for him- I am too." Mrs.Mell was chewing on the inside of her cheek nervously.

"Why didn't he- go to school?" Jeremy fiddled with the hem of his sweater.

Mrs.Mell shrugged, "He was in the bathroom all night and then just went to his room- he's fine though, he just won't come out of his room."

Jeremy's head spun- Michael definitely had a squip- any mention of it sent him into the nearest bathroom to curl up, and having one? He sure as Mell would be avoiding Jeremy- that's what happened for him after all, he got avoided...

"I-I think I know what's up!" Jeremy chirped with a forced smile.

"Oh? Good!" Mrs.Mell ushered the boy in, "Go, Go, Go then."

Jeremy nodded and stepped into the house as the door closed behind him. He took a look at the stars that led up in one way and down from across the hallway- Michael's regular gaming drinks, such as Mountain Dew: Original and Liquified-Doritos ™, a trademark snack-drink of Michael's, which wasn't quite that bad- just don't ask how he makes it-

However, Michael's retro pop and other assorted drinks were in a mini-fridge in his room, which seemed to be where he was- and where the spilled Mountain Dew: Red most likely was too...

Jeremy took in a sharp breath and bolted up the stairs, propelling himself up them in a matter of seconds as he took the by twos.

Jeremy then stopped right before Michael's door, the first door down the hall on the second-floor balcony. Jeremy was quiet as he listened for anything- but all he could hear was a quiet YouTube video and a smug laugh. This didn't make sense- but then again, neither did this situation. Without further hesitation, Jeremy grabbed a key from his pocket and unlocked Michael's locked door.

Michael had given Jeremy the key sometime after their friendship grew back to the strength it used to be before the squip- he did this because he knew that further bathroom incidents might occur, and the bathroom lock was the same as his room, Jeremy found out, so this came in handy at this moment.

Jeremy bust open the door to find Michael yelp in surprise and become a blur as he pulled his hoodie over his face- of course he had it on- when didn't he?

Jeremy was hit in the chest by Michael's phone, which had been thrown at him, causing him to grunt in pain as his twig body stumbled to the ground, shutting the door behind it.

"J-Jeremy?" Michael's voice came off as small from where he crouched at the edge of his bed.

Jeremy was winded and it took him a second before he began to take in deep breathes- he looked down at the phone that had hit him to see a Vine Compilation end- his confusion growing as he chucked the phone back at Michael, "What the hell, man?"

"Wh- what do you mean, what the hell?" Michael frowned as he caught his phone and quickly turned it off.

Jeremy sighed and got up, brushing himself off before rubbing his chest with one hand where the phone had hit him, using the other hand to gesture, "You don't come to school, you don't text, you don't answer- I go to get your homework and your teacher says you've been there all day- then your mom says you're home?"

Michael pulled on the strings of his hoodie slightly, covering his face more, "I-I um- well, I locked my door and then climbed out the window so-"

"Why?"

"Well, I wasn't going to break my perfect attendance- but my moms would have forced me to walk with you if I hadn't faked being sick and-"

"They don't believe that you're sick, Michael, and neither do I." Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Well, Yeah, I just told you I wasn't sick." Michael tried a small smile.

"So you're avoiding me?"

"I wouldn't call it-"

"No, I'm not asking- I'm telling you that you're avoiding me."

"Jeremy-"

"Do you have a squip or not?" Jeremy's voice sounded broken.

"Wh-what?" Michael laughed hysterically.

"Well, do you?" Jeremy clenched his fists in frustration.

"You're serious? Jeremy- someone would have to shove that thing down my throat for me to accept one of those- plus, they're like- probably gone- knock on wood," He knocked on his bedpost, "I just..." Michael trailed off.

"You didn't want to hang out with me?" Jeremy accused.

"No, Jeremy, it's not-"

"You don't want to be around me anymore- I get it." Jeremy bit his lip and crossed his arms, "Just tell me you don't want to be around me next time and-"

"Jeremy, you're being over dramatic." Michael groaned.

"You've never done something like this, Michael! What am I supposed to do! I- what am I supposed to do?" Jeremy's voice softened at the end.

"Jeremy, it's really no big deal-"

"It is for me!" Jeremy's voice rose.

"Jeremy! Really! It's- it's just a stupid reason, it's fine..." Michael shrugged.

"What's a stupid reason?" Jeremy's eye's clouded with confusion.

"Shi- nothing, nothing is- just, you can go home now, okay?" Michael pulled his hood over his face more.

"Why are you hiding your face?" Jeremy took a step forward.

"I'm not-"

"Michael."

"Jeremy-"

"Michael." Jeremy was getting dangerously close.

Michael scrambled backwards, "Jeremy, seriously, I'm- JEREMY-!"

Jeremy lunged at Michael and tackled him, both of the boys rolling as they fell on the floor, Jeremy pinning Michael to the ground as he pulled the hood away from Michael's head and down to his shoulders- he could have melted right there and then, and felt his limbs sway in an effort to stay up.

Michael looked away with a red face that matched the tufts of red hair atop his head, some dye could still be seen on his forehead from where it had just been colored the night before.

Jeremy stumbled away from Michael until he shakily stood before falling back into a sitting position on the edge of Michael's bed.

Michael quickly sat up and pulled the hood back over his head, "See, I knew you'd hate it- that's why I was avoiding you- I just- completely dyed it wrong and it's just as mess and I..." He mumbled.

Jeremy was at a loss for words as he felt goosebumps form all over him and he noticeably shuttered as his face grew red.

"...Jeremy?"

"Sh-shit- man, why would you think I'd hate that?" Jeremy gestured to the dyed hair.

Michael's face grew a darker shade of red in turn, "Wh...what do you mean?"

Jeremy ran a hand through his own hair, "God- you just-"

"Just what?"

"You look fucking attractive, man- why would you want to hide that?" Jeremy looked at Michael honestly but the other boy had already fallen onto the floor with dilated pupils and a squiggly smile on.

"M-Michael?"

"I think I could die happy right here, right now." Michael beamed.

Jeremy gave a bashful smile in return, "Y-yeah?"

Michael pulled his hood off his head, "Defiantly."

***

///
God, I love these kids
I've gone so long without writing a Boyf Riends chapter, or fic, or anything for that matter, for like, months, and they're too precious not to write about-
Anyway,
We've got Mrs.Mell and Mrs.Tyler now, Michael's Moms, to fill in the plot holes we're going with the fact that Mrs.Mell married a man, Mr.Mell, originally Mr.Howard, for a short time and they had Michael, but shortly after Michael's birth, Mr.Howard filed a divorce and left the two, but Mrs.Mell found Mrs.Tyler shortly after- that being a few years later- and they're now happily married and raised Michael gladly together. We'll hopefully see more of Mrs.Tyler in the future.
Anyway, I'd better go to sleep now!
-Jay