Michael and Jeremy had a ritual. If one of them had a stressful day, they would both go sit in the front lawn and gaze at the stars. Sometimes it was silent, other times it was filled with them having conversations about their experiences and opinions. Tonight was one of the latter.
"Do you ever want to go back in time?" Michael asked, staring at the twinkling sky. Jeremy sighed gently, a noise that made Michael's heart flutter a bit, as the pale teen tried to respond.
"Well- as cool as it would be, I think it's best to just leave things how they are," Jeremy finally decided.
"But what if we could stop you from getting the SQUIP? Save everyone?" Michael ventured. He thought about his and Jeremy's memories and how badly he wanted Jeremy's pain to be erased.
"But who's to say it wouldn't happen in the future? Or that something worse would have happened. Besides, now we know better than to buy sketchy nano drugs. We also got a pretty cool friend group. I know that it's hard to deal with the symptoms and memories... but it's better to know what not to do than to forget it," Jeremy explained, thinking very carefully. Michael nodded, chuckling bitterly.
"Too bad we were the ones that needed the lesson... it'd be nice if we could just have peaceful things like this more often," Michael mused quietly. Jeremy sat up, looking at the reflection of the stars in Michael's eyes. Michael quickly followed Jeremy, looking confused and concerned.
"Michael, I know some messed up stuff happened, but I promise that we're never not gonna be a team. I know I can't take back what I've said or done... I can't do anything to change the past, but I can write the future. I'm not sure what's gonna happen to us, whether it be bullies or mutant zombies. I just know that I wanna go through it all with you by my side. Michael Mell, I know we're too young to propose, but I can promise you that my heart will belong to you for the rest of my days, and that I will always be by your side no matter what because we are a team," Jeremy had grabbed hold of Michael's hands while saying this, and Michael had tears shining in his eyes. The taller took a deep breath and began his response.
"Jeremy Heere. I know that you have seen and felt things that you never deserved. All I've ever wanted for you was happiness and fortune, and I wanted to be the one who gave you that. When I lost you, I felt pain I never imagined existed. It made me realize that you were a part of me. I was incomplete without you in my life. I fought for you in hopes of things being the way they were, but I know we cannot rewrite history. I will write the future with you by my side, and I give you my heart with the knowledge that we will never be apart again. You are my soulmate, and I will stay with you until the day I die. We are a team," Michael managed without sobbing. The two boys embraced each other, feeling their hearts beat in sync. They held each other under the stars, tears streaming down their faces as they marked the first day of the rest of their lives as one.
Written by: Connor
