Winter's Progression

Diving In

Jeremy's body walked down the familiar stairs of the Mell house, taking in the old stains that wouldn't wash out no matter how many carpet shampoos Michael's moms tried. Brownie stains, a bit from a dropped bowl of homemade facemask there in the corner, all were memories that flashed through Jeremy's head. On the positive side, he wasn't cold anymore. He felt..removed from the constant feeling of static in his limbs, normal again. On the negative side, Jeremy wasn't in control of himself. 

'I own you'. That's what it had said to him. The computer. Michael was right..he should get rid of it. Or..He should've gotten rid of it. Now he didn't know if he could. It had said that he wouldn't be able to move until morning. The evening was still a good part of the day..

His gait was more weighted,  pulling his feet to the ground when he took a step and pushing off when he moved to take another. It felt graceful..like dancing. It had the quality of fluidity even in an action as simple as walking. The act of walking to Jeremy-real Jeremy- though, was wrong. It felt like the moment right before he fell asleep when his ankle or wrist twitched. Involuntary. Removed. Wrong. 

The squip used his body like it was an artist and Jeremy the model used as a position reference. He all but floated down the stairs with the grace of a cat, his shoes gliding over the stains and the carpet with little of the regard real Jeremy would use to avoid them. 

Michael turned over his right shoulder and a look of relief washed over his face. Next to the catching fire his cold glasses were fogging from the heat, but the blur couldn't mask the color that was slowly steeping back into Jeremy's cheeks. Michael stood and met his friend at the bottom of the stairs with a big hug. With a hand on the back of Jeremy's neck and the other stretching around his back, Michael held him close as a smile managed to shine through all the worry. 

"Thank Christ you're safe, man! I should've told you there was a pond there. I guess I just thought you knew-We used to swim there when we were little, but I should've realized you couldn't see it and it looks so different in the winter and all the snow and everything an-" 

The squip internally rolled its eyes. Michael was a talker, one of the talkers that could talk for hours about nothing in particular-its what Jeremy thought was so great about him when they had spa days, the chatting for hours-one of those talkers. However, Jeremy would drown him out in sheer will if he managed to drive Michael away again. So for now, this was damage control. 

"Dude, chillax, I'm fine. You don't need to apologize." Getting the right crack in Jeremy's voice was difficult, especially since the range in which he spoke was higher, and the more emotive or upset he got, the more his voice cracked. Added in with getting the cadence of his words right, trying to portray the emotions Jeremy was feeling that weren't related to the computer, and keeping in control, it was a more than difficult process. The squip continued, wearing Jeremy's voice like a marionette. 

"I remembered there was a pond, I just got too into sniping you" A well placed chuckle, then continuing on. "Thanks for helping me..I'd say I owe you a slushee, but I don't think we can use any more cold right now!" Another laugh, this one exuding a darker tone, meant to portray that Jeremy knew the severity of what could've happened. Now, time to wrap it up and get home. The squip had a job to do. It wouldn't do to have Michael start to question whether the blue in Jeremy's lips was cold or electronic. 

Michael laughed along with him, it being blissfully unknown to only him how tightly he was being played for the fiddle he was. "Well, yeah, man..Okay. Let's bake something soon then. Being around an oven should be good for you. Warm your bones up a little". He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned to the fireplace he'd just spent the last twenty minutes fighting with, now burning cheerfully, the flame dancing from the ashy tinder to the healthy wooden logs. 

Jeremy's head shook in a no and he wrapped his arms around his torso, feigning like he was still cold-which of course he was. "Mike, I really should be g-getting home" He made a stutter, then combed his hair off his wet forehead with nearly still frozen fingers. "I want to sleep...I want to tell my dad what happened to me...I just want to go home" Just the right amount of whine snuck into his voice to show Michael how unnerved he was

Inside his own mind Jeremy was throwing himself against his cage. Where the squip had taken him before during his recallibration. He could see everything through his own eyes, somehow feel everything? But was unable to move himself or respond. The squip had taken his autonomy away and it was maddening. 

Michael's face dropped. "You just fell in a fuckin' frozen pond, Jer. I'm not going to let you drive home. At least let me come with you-" 

"No. I want to go home. Now. Thanks for helping me out, but now that we're friends again...I don't want to freak out and I'm starting to freak out. This is too much for me, Michael, you're too much" If Michael wouldn't accept a friendly proposal to leave under the guise to relating his day to his dad, Jeremy would anxiety his way out, something he knew for a fact that Michael understood and would respect. 

Just like he knew he would, Michael relented. He fell into a nearby overstuffed arm chair one of his moms had set out that was warmed by the fire. He stared into the fire-worried for his best friend, but more worried about pushing him past another breaking point and into the arms of the squip. He heaved a sigh and crossed his legs-one over the other "Okay. Text me when you get home. And text me if you need anything, my guy". Obviously disappointed, but not willing to pry on his inner thoughts, he'd let him go and check in on him tomorrow. 

Jeremy shot Michael an apologetic smile and turned away, reaching in his still wet pants for his car key, heading for the front door without another word. 

The air outside was cold, sure, but nothing was going to be colder than the water Jeremy had almost drowned in. He rolled his shoulders back and dropped the act. Jeremy's shoulders straightened, his posture was clean, and his face was turned towards the world ahead of him instead of down at the ground. When he slid behind the wheel, he gave up hiding the wire lines that snaked under Jeremy's skin to keep him under control and obedient. They glowed a soft neon blue, his undereye most visible without the usual warm blush. 

He set the key into the ignition of the car and turned it, the engine turning over and sparking to life. Before he sped off, he gave it time to warm up and spew warm air to try and keep Jeremy at a comfortable temperature. The more volatile he became, the harder it was to keep poor real Jeremy under his thumb. 

Just to prove how helpless Jeremy was, the squip took out Jeremy's phone from his pocket-the one Michael had cleverly suggested they leave at his house and was saved from taking a dive-and sent a text to the contact labeled Christine<3. 

"Can we talk?"