A/N: Somehow I got over 100 more reads in less than a day? Thank you guys! Oh, and self harm tw towards the end, oops.

Over the course of a few weeks, well actually only a few days, Michael gradually began forgiving Jeremy for what he did. He couldn't help himself for forgiving Jeremy so soon, he just wanted his best friend back.

Granted, Michael became pretty good friends with Rich and Jake over the few months when Jeremy was busy with Christine.  One day, the day Michael exchanged numbers with the couple, he was having a rough time at home. His parents were fighting, his best friend was with the girl who abused Michael, and Michael had nowhere else to turn.

So, the boy went to Rich's house, and after pouring his heart out to the boys, it was the most fun Michael had since Jeremy stopped talking to him up until when Jeremy and Christine broke up. Becoming friends with Rich and Jake kept Michael grounded, and Michael was forever grateful.

However, Michael always did this, he left most of the past behind him. From previous experiences, this behavior has actually helped out a lot in his life. Of course, with certain circumstances, Michael did hold grudges, and it didn't happen often. The few grudges he did have continued to last for years, some still unforgiven.

For example, he definitely wasn't going to forgive Christine anytime soon. And here was the saddest part. He didn't forgive Christine for hurting him both physically and emotionally, but simply because she hurt the person who meant most to him. Michael let people walk over him all the time, but when people hurt his- no not his, Jeremy was not Michael's property. Anyways, the grudges Michael held were from people who hurt his best friend, not from people who hurt him.

While most times, Michael liked to think of his extreme soft side as a good thing, which it was most of the time, his selflessness had cost him a lot of pain and ironically, friendships in his past, but the past was, well, in the past.

Anyways, if anything, with the mutual hatred of Christine, the friend's bond has grown a lot stronger. Sure, some things are awkward, especially now that there was a void in Jeremy's head now that he didn't constantly think of Christine, but Michael didn't mind, or at least that's what he said to Jeremy.

However, the open spot in his brain left a lot of time for Jeremy to figure some things out.

It was a warm, pleasant day outside, so what better to do than hang out in Jeremy's basement?

Michael noticed that Jeremy was a little bit on edge, so he paused their game. "Jeremy?" Michael spoke softly to the boy, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Jeremy was shaking slightly, considering his options. "Michael was able to tell him, though he didn't mean to. Why am I having so much trouble with this? What could possibly go wrong?" Of course, he came up with a million and one things that could go wrong, but he chose to ignore him. Jeremy could feel a full blown panic attack emerging, so as quickly as he could, the boy said, "I'm bisexual..."

It felt like a giant weight was lifted off of Jeremy's shoulders. The relief, however, was nowhere near as comforting as Michael's hug that followed the confession.

Jeremy had barely accepted himself when he discovered it. He would tell himself things like "You're faking it, Jeremy. You've only had a crush on one person in your entire life. A crush on a girl."  The fact that Michael accepted him quicker than Jeremy accepted himself slightly startled Jeremy, but he shook it off.

Jeremy melted into the hug Michael gave him, a tinge of a blush creeping on the taller boys cheeks when he realized he held on for a bit longer than he should've.

Michael didn't seem to mind, however. Of course he didn't! He's had a tiny crush on Jeremy for years now, and he was only just willing to admit it to himself. He realized that he was one step closer to the boy, then he stopped himself.

Thoughts swarmed around his head, flooding his conscience. "He just got out of an abusive relationship, you prick, lay off." The text Christine sent him, which the boy sadly memorized, rattled through his brain.

Then came the things Christine said to him when he was beat up. "Nobody loves you, and nobody will. Who could ever love such a freak like you?" Michael managed to hold back the tears. He glanced at his phone, pretending that he got a text. "I-I gotta go Jeremy," Michael panicked, his voice audibly cracking. Jeremy nodded slowly.

With that, Michael practically sprinted up the stairs and to his house, mentally hyperventilating, if that was possible.

Self deprecating thoughts cascaded through his mind, rushing like a waterfall after the storm. He felt the familiar cold metal object pierce his skin, and the storm and his head calmed temporarily.

Michael knew he would regret it later, but it was too late to do anything about it, wasn't it?

A/N (again? ofc): I was motivated to write but I didn't know what to write about, so this is short and pretty messy, but hopefully I develop more ideas for the story soon. (Also I consider anything I write that's under 1000 words pretty short, so...)