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sochilll · 2 months

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Day Four of Pins and Patches Week! (See the prompt list here!)

Day 4: Hospital/Home

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Michael wasn’t sure how the hospital visit would go. He knew that he and Jeremy had sort of made up before everything went to hell, but a part of him still worried that he’d show up and Jeremy would be angry, or tell Michael to leave, or throw the stuffed bear Michael bought at the gift shop at him.

Fortunately, none of that happened. Jeremy was happy to see Michael. He sat up in bed, grinning. Michael sat in the chair beside the bed and filled Jeremy in on what had happened after he passed out. They talked for what felt like hours. When Michael checked his phone, he realized it actually had been hours.

“Shit man,” Michael stood up. “I have to get home for dinner.”

“Okay,” Jeremy shifted, pushing himself further upright. “I should probably ask if I can eat something too.”

“How long are you here?”

“Just overnight. Unless I have a brain malfunction and die,” Jeremy tried for a laugh.

Michael forced one back but they both knew it wasn’t funny. “Text me when you’re home. I’ll come over.”

“Okay,” Jeremy smiled, looking more like his old self than he had in months.

Michael gave him a gentle fist bump and then stepped into the hallway.

He got slightly lost, turning left toward what he thought were the elevators, but ending up in another hallway. He frowned. He spun around to go back the way he came but his eyes caught something through one of the open doors.

“Jake?”

Jake looked up. “Oh hey uh…”

“Michael.”

“Yeah. I knew that.”

Michael nodded. He looked Jake over. His left leg was completely covered in a cast. His left arm was wrapped in bandages. “How’s… how are you?”

“You know,” Jake shrugged. “Not dead so… that’s good.”

“Yeah,” Michael laughed slightly. “Your parents here?”

Jake suddenly pretended to be intensely interested in his bandage. “Nah. They have other stuff to do.”

“Oh.” Michael shifted his weight. He wanted to say something more meaningful than “oh” but he couldn’t think of anything that could possibly make Jake feel better. He suddenly remembered the bear. He’d forgotten to give it to Jeremy. They’d been too caught up talking. He dug it out of his bag. “Here. To brighten up the place.”

Michael set the bear on the weird little hospital night stand.

Jake looked at it and then Michael. “You just carry that on you?”

“Never know when you’ll need a small stuffed bear wearing a shirt that says “get well beary soon,” you know?”

Jake laughed. He tilted his head at Michael. “Thanks.”

“How long are you here?”

Jake shrugged again. “I was on like, mad pain killers when they told me what was going on.”

Michael snorted. “You’d think they’d consider that, being professionals and all.”

“Well, I may have lied about how coherent I felt.”

“Probably not a great lie to tell to your doctors.”

“What can I say? I live on the edge.”

“My apologies Mr. Badboy.” Michael held his hands up. He felt his phone buzz in his back pocket. “Ah, crap. I have to get home for dinner.”

“Right. Cool.” Jake looked at Michael for a moment, frowning slightly.

Michael hesitated. “What?”

“What?”

“You look like you want to say something.”

“Yeah,” Jake pursed his lips. “I’m trying to decide if it’s really stupid.”

Michael shrugged. “Most things that come out of my mouth are stupid. Say it anyway.”

Jake laughed. “Okay.” He paused, apparently debating for another second. “Do you wanna hang out once I’m out of here?”

Michael blinked. He wasn’t sure what he thought Jake was going to say, but it certainly wasn’t that. “Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t know. I’m kinda rethinking my whole friend situation right now.”

“And you’re choosing me for your new posse?”

“Well,” he gestured to the empty room, “first come first serve?”

Michael laughed. “Okay. Yeah, let’s hang out.” He pulled his phone out and passed it to Jake like a cool person who got boys’ numbers all the time.

Jake typed his number in and handed it back. He’d put his name in as “Jake B).”

“Cool. So, uh, I’ll text you I guess.”

“Cool.”

“Cool,” Michael repeated. “Um, okay. So bye Jake.”

Jake smiled like he was trying not to laugh. “Bye.”

Michael and Jake texted almost every day for the next two weeks. Michael was pretty sure Jake was out of the hospital by now, but he hadn’t brought up hanging out again. And Michael certainly wasn’t going to mention it. He was sort of convinced that Jake regretted asking in the first place.

And then it happened. It was almost midnight and Michael’s phone buzzed three times in a row. He paused his video game and picked it up.

“Hey!” Jeremy whined. “I was just about to kick your ass.”

“Sorry. It sounded important.” Michael opened his messages.

Jake: hey are you doing anything tomorrow

Jake: i was thinking we could hang. watch a movie or something

Jake: my parents are out of town this weekend so

Michael typed furiously and then put his phone face down.

Michael: sure! Sounds cool :) better be a good movie though

Jeremy eyed him. “What was that about?”

“Nothing. Just making plans for tomorrow.”

Jeremy scoffed, offended. “With who?”

Michael unpaused the game. “Uh, Jake.”

Jeremy’s character died in an explosion of blood. “What the fuck? Jake? Like Jake Jake?”

“Yeah.” Michael shrugged. “Ran into him on the way out of the hospital that day and we’ve been talking.”

“Talking,” Jeremy repeated.

“Yup.”

“Meaning…”

“Meaning we have been sending texts back and forth in a conversation format.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “So you’re like… into him?”

“What?” Michael flushed. “I never said that. Why does it matter anyway?”

Jeremy fidgeted. “I don’t know. You’ve just never really mentioned Jake before. And now you guys are hanging out?”

“Chillax dude.” Michael bumped his shoulder. “You’re not being replaced. We’re just talking.”

Jeremy pouted but let it go after Michael pinky-swore Jeremy was still his best friend.

Jake’s house was fully repaired and just as expensive looking as the first time Michael had been there. He texted Jake when he arrived.

Jake: front door is open. i’m in the living room. sorry i’d come get you but… walking

Michael: understandable

Michael hesitated, a little worried about having to explain himself to some butler or maid or something, but he gathered his courage and pushed open the front door. There seemed to be no one else home. He found the living room easily. Jake was on the couch, leg propped up on pillows on the coffee table.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” Jake gestured to the couch. “Welcome.”

Michael sat beside him. “Looks different in the daytime.”

“That sounds really creepy man.”

“Well,” Michael shrugged. “I’m kinda creepy.”

Jake laughed. They lapsed into silence.

Michael scrambled for something to say. “So how’s the friend search going?”

“Great. You know how being in the hospital lets you meet a bunch of people your age?”

“Yeah exactly. It’s a great place to meet people.” Michael nodded. “So just me then?”

“Well, I’m still deciding about you.” Jake said, giving Michael a faux serious look.

Michael put a hand to his chest. “That is truly hurtful. I gave you a stuffed bear that cost several dollars!”

“Several?” Jake raised his eyebrows. “Well now I feel bad about throwing it out.”

“You threw it out?”

Jake laughed. “No.” He nodded to the TV stand where the bear was sitting.

It made Michael’s chest feel slightly warm for some reason, thinking about Jake taking the stupid stuffed bear home with him.

Michael was trying to come up with some witty and cool thing to say when his phone started vibrating incessantly.

Jake glanced at his pocket. “You gonna check that?”

“No.” Michael knew exactly who it was and what he was saying.

“What if it’s important?”

“It’s not. It’s just Jeremy being an obnoxious best friend.”

“Obnoxious about what?” Jake asked.

Michael looked at him. Jake seemed pretty cool. Like, actually cool. Chill. Not stuck up or asshole-ish.

“He’s just making fun of the fact that we’re hanging out.”

Jake looked confused. “Why is that funny?”

“Cause we have never spoken before despite going to school together since like second grade.”

“Hm. Good point.” Jake nodded. “Except we did do that project on ancient Egypt together in seventh grade.”

“Oh my god yeah!” Michael laughed. “God I can’t believe you even remember that.”

“Of course.” Jake smiled. “You were like… super into it. I remember I barely did anything cause you just kept telling me random facts about mummies.”

Michael was getting slightly distracted by the way Jake kept smiling at him. “Yeah well… I was sort of in my Egypt phase back then. It lasted longer than I am willing to admit. Very embarrassing.”

Jake leaned toward him. Or maybe he was just adjusting his leg.

“I thought it was cool,” Jake said quietly.

“Liar.”

“No, I did. You were so passionate.” Jake was definitely closer now. “I don’t think I’ve ever cared about anything that much.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Michael was practically whispering. “You do… sports.”

Jake laughed softly. “Yeah. But I don’t really care about that. Which is good considering…”

“Well, we should find you a hobby then.”

“We?”

“Yeah. You think I’m just gonna ditch my new best—”

Jake leaned forward and kissed him. He pulled back, smiling slightly and said, “Sorry. Go on.”

“I uh…” Michael’s brain was upside down. He couldn’t have continued what he was saying if his life depended on it. “I don’t know what I was… Um…”

Jake laughed. He straightened up. “Well, if you can’t talk then go to the kitchen and get us some snacks while I find a movie.”

“Okay.” Michael stood up and went into the kitchen. He looked around and then returned to the living room. “What snacks?”

Jake shrugged, scrolling through movies. “Take whatever you want man.”

“Okay.” Michael brought out three bags of chips, a box of crackers, Oreos, and two cans of soda. “You have a lot of food here.”

“Yeah.” Jake shifted his leg to the side of the table so they could lay out the food. “Hey did I make it weird earlier?”

Michael was shocked by the bluntness. “Um, yes definitely. But like… not bad. Just surprising.”

“But not bad.”

“Definitely not bad,” Michael confirmed.

Jake nodded. “Okay. Cool.” He pressed play on a movie Michael had definitely not approved of.

Michael sat beside him, closer than before. Jake glanced at him. Then he stretched his arms, leaving one on the back of the couch behind Michael.

Michael burst out laughing.

“What?”

“Did you seriously just do the stretch thing? That’s so lame! I thought you were supposed to have game.”

“I do have game.” Jake argued. “That’s a solid move.”

“It absolutely is not.” Michael said, still trying to control his giggles. “It’s cheesy and stupid.”

“Whatever.” Jake pulled his arm back into his lap. “Sit by yourself then.”

Michael felt giddy. He felt floaty and happy and impulsive. He took Jake’s hand and pulled Jake’s arm around his shoulders, leaning into his chest.

“That’s how you do it.”

Jake flicked the side of his head. “Shut up.” But he didn’t move his arm away.

#pinsnpatchesweek #I’m really going hard on the ‘directly canon adjacent’ premises #I promise the others are different lol #bmc #pins and patches #my writing

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