Take a Chill Pill - Assorted Be More Chill Stuff

Not Completely Dead

I'm back. Sorry for the wait (if any of you were waiting, idk). Have some pining Ghost!Jeremy inspired by Danny Phantom.

    "J-Jeremy?"
    "Hi Evan," Jeremy said, frozen where he was. So much for sneaking in. So much for the big secret.
    "Wh-why—" Evan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "What happened to your hair?"
    "Really? Of all the things going on right now, that's what you question?"
    "I'm trying not to think too hard about the other stuff." Jeremy smiled. At least his stepbrother wasn't freaking out. Not yet.
    "It's all the same thing, dude. Open your eyes. You should see this bit."
    "No."
    "If I don't show you now, you're going to ask me to later and honestly, that's just too much work." Evan sighed and opened one eye. Just a crack. He squinted at Jeremy through his eyelashes. Good enough. Jeremy grinned and pulled himself the rest of the way through his bedroom wall. He became tangible and landed on the ragged gray carpet, holding his arms out in a "ta da" gesture.
    "Y-you're the ghost boy?" Evan's eyes went wide.
    "Pleased to make your acquaintance, bro." He let his arms fall down to his sides as a bright flash of light passed over him. His bright platinum hair faded back to its normal chocolate color. His eyes went from eerie electric cyan to a very human blue-gray. His snow-white jumpsuit was replaced with his usual striped t-shirt and jeans.
    "Y-you—" Evan screwed his eyes shut again. "How?" Jeremy looked down at the ground and bit his lip. He scraped the toe of his shoe against a spot in the carpet.
    "So... Um... Remember those three months or so when I was like super popular but also a huge dick?"
    "Yes..." Evan was slowly relaxing. His hands were shaking a little less.
    "It was because of this supercomputer pill thing. Long story. I'll skip to the end. Basically, when I stopped doing what it wanted, it... it kinda killed me." Evan's eyes snapped open. He went pale and started shivering again. Jeremy was carefully looking anywhere else, heart racing. Yes, he still had a heart. It didn't beat very fast. Usually. This didn't exactly fall under "usually."
    "Killed you?" His brother's voice was a harsh whisper.
    "Would it make any sense if I told you it only half killed me?"
    "Not really... But more sense than you being completely dead and still walking around and stuff."
    "What, you wouldn't believe me if I told you I was a straight-up zombie? Because we're still not sure. I might be." Jeremy fought down snickers. This was so unreal, even by his standards. Here he was, telling Evan Hansen, the biggest ghost skeptic of all time (not counting Zoe Murphy and her parents, though Jeremy knew Connor's ghost was still hanging around; they had some good conversations now and then, mostly about how awful school was and how much being dead sucked too—-you know, normal teenager stuff), that he was the weird undead superhero that caused almost all the property damage in the whole town. Not completely his fault, by the way. It was usually because the other guy—ghost threw him into a building.
    "W-we?" Jeremy's smile softened and he felt his cheeks heat up a bit.
    "Me and Michael. He was the first to know."
    "Before you?"
    "It was pretty much the same time. We... Well... It was right after I was out of the hospital after half-dying. We were hanging out at his house and got, like, super high, and were kinda kissing a bit? Anyway, I went invisible, which was more than a little awkward. He opened his eyes and couldn't see me kissing him back, but we could both feel that I was? It was a mess."
    "Are you and Michael—"
    "Are we what?"
    "Together?" Jeremy sighed and paced over to his bed, where he perched on the corner.
    "Not officially. I mean, we hang out all the time and we've definitely kissed since then. Like a lot, but he's not my boyfriend. We've never even been on an actual date."
    "Why not? You like him, don't you?" Evan sat next to him.
    "Shit. I don't know. He's my best friend. How would I? I can't tell if I love him or if I just can't imagine life without him because he's always been part of my life. Even if it doesn't really count as life anymore." Jeremy fell back on the bed, his head bouncing on the mattress. Evan stayed silent, leaving space for Jeremy to keep talking. Or just think. He wasn't sure he could do either. His brain was going crazy and he had to force himself to lie still; if he let his arms flail around, he'd probably send an accidental ectoblast through the wall. "I just— I tell him everything. He knows everything about me. Even this! It's sort of a secret for a reason. My whole life—existence rests on this secret. He's the only other person who knows. And he helps me with the whole ghost fighting thing, no matter how dangerous. And he never listens to me about it being dangerous. But it is. I'm already dead. It's not like I can really die again. But he could get seriously hurt, but I can't tell him that, or he'll think I don't trust him. I trust him with everything. He's my best friend in the whole world and I don't want to do anything to lose him. I'm... I'm scared that if I get too close, he'll hate me and we can't be friends anymore." Jeremy was beyond grateful to his brother for just letting him rant. He hadn't been able to talk to anyone about this. Ever. He couldn't talk to Michael about Michael.
    "But... You've already kissed..."
    "Right!? And it was both of us. It's definitely not just me kissing him or just him kissing me. And it's super fucking cool, too. Like, I wish those moments would never end. I like kissing him and he doesn't seem to mind, at least. And just like, for those few minutes or whatever, I don't need to worry about ghost stuff. No getting electrocuted or thrown halfway across town or needing to worry about saving actual lives. It's just me and him and probably some weed."
    "Y-you get electro—Jeremy, you're floating." He looked down at Evan. He was indeed levitating a few feet off the bed and slowly drifting closer to the ceiling.
    "Sorry."
    "Why are you telling me this?" Jeremy let out a shout of laughter and let himself fall back to the bed. The springs screeched under his sudden weight.
    "Because I really, really needed to tell someone and I can't really talk to anyone anymore. There's too much to hide. My feelings from Michael and my ghost powers from everyone else. Speaking of which, please don't tell Dad and Heidi. I'm pretty sure they'd dissect me. Just my luck our parents are ghost hunters, huh?"
    "Yeah! Yeah. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. I'm honestly still not sure I believe it. I'll probably wake up tomorrow and think I dreamed it all." Jeremy smiled.
    "Thanks, Evan. You're a pal. And hey, maybe that's better for both of us." He clapped a hand on Evan's shoulder. Evan chuckled. What might've become an awkward silence was interrupted by Jeremy's phone buzzing. He dug it out of his pocket. "It's Michael."
    "Is there a ghost or something? Is it bad?"
    "Nah. He just wants me to come over. Says he wants to tell me something."
    "It's almost midnight!"
    "So?" Jeremy sent his brother a wild grin. "My best friend... Fuck it, let's just call him my crush. Wants to hang out. I'd say that beats sleep any day. Besides, tomorrow's Saturday. It's not like I have to go to school or anything."
    "But—"
    "See you, Evan! Thanks for letting me talk, and... seriously, dude. Thanks for understanding."
    "I'm-I'm really not sure I do." Jeremy just smirked and transformed with a flash of light, flying towards the window. Evan shouted in surprise.
    "Sorry. I'll warn you next time," Jeremy said with a laugh. "But honestly? Neither am I." He phased through the glass and soared into the night, heart light as the cool air wove its way through his now-blonde hair. He had something to tell Michael too. Dead men tell no tales, but no one said they couldn't fall in love. And hey, it had to count for something that he wasn't completely dead.

So I did some quick little drawings of Jeremy...

Human

And Ghost

I also have an art Instagram, scrip.strel if anyone is remotely interested. I do put more effort into the stuff on there than I did into these.

Happy Thanksgiving!