One Shots at Freddy's

Hanging Out

Warning: JereMike/Meremy/Jerichael/Whatever you call Jeremy Fitzgerald x Michael Afton

Ah yes, noise. It was something that Michael had a bit of a strange obsession for.

Which is why he loved the crowded main streets, with all its people and the blaring of car horns.

He also loved how easy it was to blend in with the crowd. This was the closest he would ever be to being invisible, and he loved it.  He could scream at the top of his lungs and no one would notice. His eye-bags and pale skin and Captain America T-shirt were inconspicuous. No one knew who he was, and no one cared. It was a peaceful feeling that he always longed for.

Jeremy couldn't say the same. Which is a fact that he tried his level best to suppress around his best friend.

As the two of them strolled through the crowded lanes, dodging people and vehicles alike, Michael hummed a happy tune, knowing that no one would hear. No one but Jeremy, who was squeezing his temples as if that would eradicate the pounding headache that dulled his senses.

Michael glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye and found him staring almost pointedly at the ground. He chuckled, misinterpreting the situation.

"Hey, Jerry, you trying to use telekinesis or something?" He joked, an amused grin on his face.

All he got was a pained whimper as a response.

His smile faded as he got a better look at his companion. Jeremy was covering his ears and looked like he was on the verge of tears. He walked alongside Michael silently, but definitely not painlessly.

It took Michael a moment to realize what was going on.
He remembered the way his little brother, CC, acted around loud noises nowadays. He cried a lot, complaining of severe headaches and nausea. Both Jeremy and CC suffered a similar fate, so they had similar reactions to certain stimuli.

"You... wanna go somewhere a little quieter?" He asked, instinctively putting a protective arm around his friend.

Jeremy nodded. "That... that would be nice... thank you..."

Michael gently led Jeremy homeward through the crowded streets. Their localities in Hurricane were comparatively peaceful. Jeremy could relax there.

As the auditory ambience transitioned from car horns to the soft chirping of birds, Jeremy heaved a sigh of relief. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and smiled subconsciously. It was only then that he noticed Michael had his arm around him the entire time. He didn't mention it though. He kind of liked it.

"You okay now?" Michael asked, in a concerned whisper. A soft laugh escaped Jeremy.

"Yeah. Don't worry. You can talk normally now. My head won't explode."

"That's a relief."

A comfortable silence loomed over them as they rambled through the empty streets, enjoying the birds' songs and the rustling of tree-leaves and the occasional ringing of a bicycle bell. Michael might not have liked it as much as the busy, orderly chaotic nature of the main roads, but it was still nice. Especially when Jeremy was there to enjoy the scenery with him.

It almost felt like sacrilege to break the silence, but they both eventually, nonverbally agreed that something had to be said.

"So..." Michael said, finally, "Glad to have you here with me."

"Yeah. Same. It gets pretty lonely sometimes... I mean, the kids are there to keep me company, but... like... they're kids. There's only so much I can talk to them about."

"Wait. Kids? What kids?"

Jeremy frowned at Michael, eyebrows knit together in confused disappointment. He gave the man a couple of seconds to recall Jeremy's residence.

"Oh-- you mean CC's friends? Like, Susie, mini-Jeremy, Fritz, Gabriel and Cassidy?"

Jeremy nodded, his eyebrows still furrowed in annoyance.

"I literally live with them. Only them. How did you forget?"

"Ah- sorry. My memory's been failing me a lot, lately... like, just yesterday, I forgot CC's real name."

"Brother of the year."

"I know, right? Jeez, I'm the worst..."
Michael's voice trailed off, a dark shadow falling over his face. Then, he cleared his throat.
"Um... we were talking about how happy we were to have each other?"

"Right. Uh... Good to see you... um... hey! I just remembered I wanted to show you something!"

Jeremy rolled up his shirt-sleeve to reveal a hand-made bracelet. It spelled out his name. Or rather, it read "JEREMYF". The "F" at the end probably stood for "Fitzgerald".

"Did you make this?" Michael asked, somewhat underwhelmed.

"No, mini-Jeremy did! Isn't that so sweet of him? He gave it to me for Mothers' Day!"

Michael blinked. "That's sweet and all, but Mothers' Day?" He grinned, amused.

"What? It's a nice sentiment."

"Mothers' Day!"

"But still--"

"Mama Jere-myf?"

Jeremy was tempted to punch that smirk right off of Michael's face.

"Call me that, and I'll go back to calling you Mikayla."

"Oh no! I'm so scared!" Michael chuckled.

"Mikayla."

Michael rolled his eyes, and looked away from Jeremy at a nearby tree. Some kids had made a tree-house up there, and were sitting in it, calling out to their friends to join them. The sight made him smile. It reminded him of his own childhood with his close friends.

He then turned back to Jeremy. His arm was still around the man.

The two of them probably would never have been friends if it weren't for all the unfortunate circumstances that brought them together. Now, neither could imagine a day without the other by his side (well, in spirit). Jeremy was Michael's closest and only friend and vice versa, and regardless of the frequent teasing and forgetting of important details about each other, they loved one another dearly.

Although, Michael realized long ago that his feelings for Jeremy had altered, somehow. He couldn't tell what the matter was, but he would often find himself staring at the man for a prolonged period of time; at the way he occasionally flicked his dirty-blonde hair out of his ocean-blue eyes, the plumpness of his (facial) cheeks, the tiny dimple on his chin, the slight chip in his tooth that enhanced how adorable his smile was, the--

Michael suddenly got smacked in the face.

"Hey! What was that for!?"

Jeremy was giving him an apologetic look, restraining the hand that smacked Michael with his other one.
"Sorry! I-- I don't know where that came from, I-- I--"

Jeremy's face flushed red in distress and embarrassment. Michael patted him on the shoulder, letting him know that all was good.
The only issue with being friends with Jeremy was the fact that he had low impulse control, thanks to the Bite of '87. Which meant that he was incredibly susceptible to intrusive thoughts. Which is also why Michael never visited tall buildings or bridges when Jeremy was with him. If you know, you know.

Jeremy's impulsiveness was, in Michael's opinion, a small price to pay for the man's company. He loved being around him. He loved his nature, his presence.

Michael felt the heat rise to his cheeks as Jeremy put his arm around him and leaned his head against Michael's shoulder. Dear Lord, there was no denying it now.

He loved him.