So I realized this book has reached 1k reads and I just want to say thank you guys so much! Seriously, I never expected it and it means a lot! So, have this oneshot as a present because I know I haven't posted much lately and you guys deserve better than that.
It was New Year's Eve. It was New Year's Eve and it was snowing—thick blurry flakes swirling in the fogged-up air of almost–January. Leftover Christmas lights sent spirals of colors between the snow. Ice glazed the world. It was pretty and peaceful and perfect.
Just not for Michael.
Yeah, it was a sight. It was fucking gorgeous. He sat in his living room, watching the snow out the frosted window from under a blanket with the fireplace lit and a mug of hot chocolate in his lap. Soft music floated from the headphones around his neck. He didn't even care what it was anymore. It wasn't Carol of the Bells, and that's all that mattered as soon as Christmas was over.
So, yeah. It was nice and quiet and a perfect little winter scene. The new year was coming and it would hopefully be a little less shitty than the last. No one believed it at this point, but that's what everyone's hopes were resting on.
The main issue was that Michael was all alone. No, it wasn't that he minded having the house to himself, it was that he was lonely. Jeremy had said he'd be coming over for a countdown, just like they did every year. He was supposed to drive back early from spending the holidays with his mom.
He was supposed to be back four hours ago.
Normally, Michael wouldn't have cared. Jeremy never got to see his mom. What kind of friend would Michael be if he kept Jeremy from it? If Jeremy wanted to hang out there a little longer, Michael wasn't about to stop him. The problem was that Jeremy had texted earlier to say he was starting the drive home. He had texted and he was on his way and there was a winter storm warning going on.
Could you blame Michael for freaking out? Jeremy had only had his license for a few months because he hated driving, so he never practiced and it took him ages to get past his permit. So now he was driving home, alone, in a blizzard, when he wasn't even close to a good driver. Every time he heard sirens, Michael's heart sank. What if that was his best friend sliding off the road into a snowbank and dying? What if Jeremy never showed up because he had fucking driven off a cliff in the dark and in the snow and Michael would never get to see him again?
It was 11:45 and Michael was freaking the fuck out. Yeah, he was still sitting in his nice, cozy house, bundled in his blanket. Yeah, he was safe.
But what if Jeremy wasn't?
It didn't help that he had kinda planned this whole thing for midnight. He couldn't exactly have his first kiss at midnight if the guy he wanted to have it with was frozen roadkill. It was going to be perfect, with the festivity being the perfect excuse to tell Jeremy about his crippling crush, and hey, if Jeremy didn't feel the same way, they could go into the new year as complete strangers. Start over just like you're supposed to.
So, basically, his only resolution and maybe his entire future were on the line and Jeremy hadn't shown up yet. Jeremy wouldn't show up because he was an icy road pancake, his broken body freezing by the side of a highway. Michael would get a call as soon as the sun rose, telling him that Jeremy had died before the ambulance even got there, a combination of exposure and horrible injury. He would start his new year at his best friend's funeral, rather than expressing his undying love for him. Jeremy would die not knowing how he felt. Jeremy would die before Michael could have any idea if he even liked him back.
Yeah, probably best not to go there.
His hot chocolate was barely lukewarm anymore. His hands were shaking. His breathing had gone ragged. Tears were pricking in his eyes. He was shivering, despite the fire and his blanket and his signature hoodie. Sirens rang by outside. Sirens rang by, beating into his skull.
You know what? Fuck it. If he had to deal with this shit, there was no way he was doing it sober. Michael had been planning to get high with Jeremy later, but he couldn't do this.
The edible had a child lock on it.
"What the? Oh my fucking— Let me be high and underaged!" Michael screamed at nobody. This was so not his night. "Fuck. Finally." He broke the corner of his nail off, but he got the stupid thing open. He glanced at his phone as he was about to pop the drug in his mouth. 11:59.
Well shit.
He bit down on the weed, glaring at the clock and willing his stomach not to heave in time with his frantic heartbeat.
He's dead. He's hella dead and there's nothing I can do and I'm going to be so alone, and he'll never know how much he means to me and I'll never get this fucking weight off my chest and fucking shit, he's gone and this is going to be the worst year of my life because he's just dead, I know it.
So much for the weed calming him down.
Midnight. January. Michael had to hold down a sob. He couldn't tell the difference between his anxiety and what must've been reality at this point.
The doorbell rang.
Michael almost choked. He spit the edible in his half-full mug of cold chocolate and tripped over himself to get to the door, yanking it open to a burst of frigid air.
Jeremy stood on the porch, snowy dandruff collecting on his tousled hair and trembling shoulders. His mittened hands fiddled with the ends of his scarf as apologies tumbled through his chattering teeth. His skin was flushed against the biting air. Michael wanted to stop and just stare at him, looking like a fucking angel in the falling snow, but he'd moved too fast to even get a glance of how cute his friend looked, much less hear his frantic excuses about traffic and roadblocks and detours and having to drive really slowly because he was scared of sliding.
Michael practically tackled Jeremy in a hug. Jeremy hugged back, numb as his limbs were. Michael didn't care that he was now standing in three inches of snow in his socks, possibly suffocating his friend in his arms. He didn't care that he could feel his fingers going blue, or that Jeremy's hair was tickling his ears or that there were snowflakes dotting his glasses, which fogged with every breath. He just buried himself into his friend's shoulder as Jeremy laughed a little, sending shudders through his spine.
"Yeah, I missed you too." Jeremy was clutching to his sweatshirt.
"I thought you fucking died," Michael mumbled into his puffy winter coat.
"Yeah, um... sorry. I would've texted but, you know... driving." Michael gave Jeremy one last squeeze, making sure he was actually there. There and safe and not dead. He pulled away, staring into Jeremy's eyes, a warm blue so much brighter than the neighbor's colored lights glinting on the snow. "Could–could we maybe go inside? It's kinda cold as balls out here." Michael snorted.
"Yeah, just one thing." He checked his phone. Still midnight. Perfect. "I've been kinda wanting to do this for awhile now."
They kissed under the new year's snowfall, Michael's heart warmer than summer as Jeremy kissed him back. His nose was cold against Michael's face, but he didn't care. He did wish that they could get closer together. Jeremy was so warm, but the winter air was starting to seep through Michael's sweatshirt.
They broke apart and, blushing, pulled each other into the house. Michael's glasses fogged in the sudden heat.
"So... yeah?" Michael said. He couldn't see past the steam in front of his eyes, but he could hear Jeremy carefully unbundling himself from his coat and scarf and gloves. "I really hope you don't hate me now, because that would kind of really suck, but um..." Jeremy chuckled. Michael still couldn't see him, though the mist was starting to fade. A hand snuck into his. An arm snaked around his waist.
When Michael's vision cleared, Jeremy's face was up against his, bright red from what was probably more than cold at this point.
"Well, um..." Jeremy pressed his lips to Michael's, just a peck, but enough to send a chill down his spine. "Does, does that answer your question?"
"Fuck yeah," Michael breathed, pulling Jeremy onto the couch and into another kiss. His mind was still for the first time all night. Jeremy was safe. Jeremy was here. With him. Maybe this year was going to be brighter than he'd thought.
YOU ARE READING
Take a Chill Pill - Assorted Be More Chill Stuff
Fiksi PenggemarHeadcanons, oneshots, drabbles, etc. Some crossovers too, and probably lots of AUs. Boyf riends (and kind of Tree Bros) will be featured, but no smut is planned. Angst will be avoided, mostly because the canon is angsty enough for my tastes. Enjoy...