“Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

A young voice shouts, you and Lynn look over to see a boy—way younger than the two of you—approaching with an upset frown. Lynn scoffs in irritation while you tilt your head in confusion. “Lynn…why am I not surprised?” The boy huff, glaring up at him. “Probably because you have nothing better to do than following me around and waiting for me to make a mistake so you can harass me.” Lynn says, his tone hostile. The boy stomps with a defensive frown, “I’m not following you around! You’re in the elementary section. You’re a high schooler in the elementary section, you’re specifically in an area where I have to be. You’re not supposed to be here. I could report you for that.” He says.

Lynn groans loudly, like he was speaking to an actual school official and not a small child, “Didn’t your parents tell you it’s rude to yell at people that are older than you?” Lynn asks, the boy doesn’t get a chance to respond before Lynn says “Oh, right. I almost forgot that shipped you off the second they had the chance to. No surprise there.” The look in the boy’s eyes is horrified. “WHAT?!” The boy screams, tears filling his eyes, “Made any friends yet? I’m guessing no.” Lynn asks.

“Whoa! Whoa! Ok, Lynn. Stop making the munchkin cry.” You interjected, “I am not a munchkin! My name is Nate!” The boy…Nate shouts at you, teary eyed and frustrated. You look at Lynn, “Still, since when do you have beef with a child?” You ask. “He started it.” Lynn huffs, you glance at the angry, sniffling 7 year old in front of you. “Know what? We can discuss you bullying a baby later. Let’s go.” You sigh, dragging Lynn away before he could get so pissed that he cancels your date.

Lynn sulks as the two of you officially leave the campus, “I can’t believe this. You took his side!” He complains “No, I—what did you see as me taking his side?” You ask dumbfounded by the fact that you're now the target of your boyfriend's bitchy attitude. Lynn scoffs loudly, "Literally everything!" "...Ok, fine. Whatever. I'll buy you a milkshake or something to make up for it." You sigh. "I don't want a stupid milkshake." Lynn says bitterly. "Fine. I'm getting me one anyway. Quit dragging your feet." You hook your arm around Lynn and he allows you to graciously drag him away.

...

"Ah, this is nice." You hum softly, Lynn's sulking continues, but he was starting to grow less and less interested in being a whiny bitch. "I guess." He mutters. You'll take any win you can get from him. You grin victoriously, reaching for you milkshake-only to find it missing from where you last left it. "What the...?" You look at Lynn to see him happily drinking your milkshake. "What the hell, Lynn?! You said you didn't want a milkshake!" You gasp, staring at him in disbelief.

Lynn snickers, plucking the cherry off the whip cream and holding it out to you. "Did I? Well, it looks like I changed my mind. You can have the cherry~" He snickers, you stare at him in disbelief, "You whore." You huff bitterly, Lynn only grins smugly. "Takes one to date one." He says. You roll your eyes and snatch the cherry from his finger tips, you bitterly chew it. Lynn's smugness only grows at the look on your face.

"Quit being a pouty baby. I get enough of that from Nathan." He snorts, "You ass. I'm gonna get me another milkshake." You sigh, forcing yourself to stand up from the table, Lynn grabs your hand and forces you to sit back down. "Relax, you big baby. I'll let you get a sip." He says, holding the milkshake straw towards you. You raise an eyebrow at him, "What? Don't tell me you're scared of sharing a straw? We've literally made out so many-" "Alright. Alright, give me that." You sigh, you take the milkshake out of his hands.

Lynn watches a you take a few sips of his milkshake, his eyes begrudgingly filled with the slightest bit of affection for you. Not that you noticed, and not that he'd ever tell you.

If you want a boyfriend that'll tell you he loves you all the time, you're with the wrong guy.

Just the fact you've been with Lynn for 6 whole months should tell you how much he...loves you?...he doesn't hate having your stupid face around.

"Alright, you had enough. Give it back." Lynn says, you move away when he reaches for the milkshake. Lynn lets out an offended gasp, "Seriously? You're gonna steal the milkshake I stole from you?" He scoffs, "Yep. Shouldn't have let your guard down." You snort, flipping him off. Lynn glares at you, you snicker and take a final sip before sliding the milkshake over to him. "Quit being a pouty baby, Lynn." You tease "Shut up." Lynn grumble, drinking the milkshake.

...

"Well, that wasn't completely awful. Thanks for hanging out with me, Lynn."

Lynn says nothing as the two of you walk back to SSB, you gently nudge him, "Come on. That was actually a nice...enough date. You can't act like you didn't have a good time." You tease. Lynn grabs your arm and drags you with him in the opposite direction, "...Lynn, what are you doing?" You asks, you glance up at the sun in the sky, "I know I'm so amazing and you don't want your time with me to end, but it's almost curfew." You state.

"Listen, Twerp. I didn’t waste a whole two hours of my life for you to bail. I get to say when this date is over. Now, come on." Lynn sighs, he continues to drag you, but you put up less of a fight.

Good.

Thing are always better when Lynn gets his way.

Sigh.

What was he doing?

How did he let you convince him to do this?

Jeremy’s hands are slow and unsure as he gently parts through your hair. It was still moist from the shower you just took just a few minutes ago. “Jerebear, what are you so scared of? If you do something wrong, it’ll hurt me, not you.” You chuckle, “Um, that’s what I’m worried about. Believe or not I’d actually prefer not to cause you any pain.” Jeremy sighs. “Aw, you do care~” You coo, he lifts his hands away from your hair when you tilt your head back to look at him.

“Still, you’re stressing yourself out for nothing. I’ve seen you braid your own hair and as doofy as you look doing it, the finished product is always amazing.” You tell him, Jeremy starts to feel sticky under your honey sweet gaze. He adjust your head to face forward again, his pale cheeks becoming a soft pink. Jeremy sighs and gets back to work, despite your support, Jeremy’s movement remain awkward and stiff.

You hum slightly, immediately growing bored of the short silence, “Have you ever braided anyone else’s hair?” You asks “No.” Jeremy answers the second the question left your lips. It was like he knew you were going to ask at some point. Then again, you also already knew what his response would be. Jeremy continues, “No one else has ever asked me to braid their hair. And even if they did, I would’ve said no. Do you know how many germs are in a person’s scalp? Do you know how common lice is? How much flaking a scalp can do?” Jeremy asks, shuddering with each reminder of how truly disgusting a person’s scalp can be.

“What about Pran’s hair? It’s long and majestic. You’ve never wanted to braid your best friend’s hair?” You ask, Jeremy scoffs, “Yeah, he’s my best friend, so I know better than anyone how poorly kept his hair is.” He states, “Wait, seriously? Lynn told me that all the way back in high school. I can get angsty teen Pran not wanting to take care of his hair, but not adult Pran. How is his hair so long and pretty if he doesn’t even take care of it?” You chuckle with a bewildered smile.

Jeremy shrugs, “He has good genes. That’s the one thing his parents ever did for him.” He says, he finally guides his hands through your hair. And after 30 minutes of prep, it was completely painless. “Well, I’m glad this is another first of yours that I get the honor of claiming.” You snicker, Jeremy lets out a groan, but a smile worms its way into his face.

The two of you…talk.

About your day, about plans the two of you made for tomorrow…

All while Jeremy is braiding your—admittedly soft, clean hair.

Jeremy mind trails away from whatever nonsense you’re rambling about. This is…nice.

Soon, 20 minutes turned into an hour, and your words were starting to make less and less sense before coming to a stop.

“There. Done.” Jeremy announces quietly. You eagerly stand up, heading to a mirror to see the finish product, he takes a moment to look at your braid. It was in two simple braids, but he felt…happy. When he was younger, he never thought it’d be possible, but he is happy. Jeremy lets out a sigh, “Never asked me to do this again.” He says, leaning against the door frame. You let out a loud scoff, “No promises! I might just ask you to do this every time I wash my hair! Man, I always look amazing—but I look even better than before!” You laugh happily.

Jeremy’s smile is small and affectionate, silently accepting that braiding your hair was just going to be a part of his life now.

Everett

You scroll through your phone absentmindedly, doing anything to keep yourself busy while you wait for Everett.

It hasn't even been a full year since the two of you decided to move in together, and honestly it was hard to believe it. There was so much of you and Everett scattered around your apartment, that it looked and felt like you've lived here for years. Most of your collective moving boxes were stuffed away into an extra room you never thought you would used...

Oh, how wrong you were.

The doorknob jingles, and Everett's voice could be heard on the other side. "Yeah, Mom. She tried to drop all her work on me. Why should I help her out? If she's not gonna offer me her check, she shouldn't ask me to do her work!" Everett’s rant becomes louder when he steps inside the apartment. He sees you on the couch and narrows his eyes, "You could've let me in." He huffs. "No way, the doors too far Shortie, I can't reach it." You say, draping your arm over your eyes. Everett rolls his eyes, his attention shift back to his phone call...more accurately, his mom.

"Mmhm, I'm just getting home," Everett states, he frowns, "What? Come on, you don't have to hang up...Alright. I'll call you after dinner.. Love you too. Bye." Everett hangs up the phone, taking off his shoes and throwing them in the general direction of the shoe rack Nate bought the two of you because he was tired of having nowhere to put his shoes when he visited. Everett stands in front of you as you lay on the couch, "Alright, move the fuck out of the way." He says, you shoot him a smug look. "Aw, why are so nice to your mom, but so mean to me?" You sighs, Everett rolls his eyes, he grabs your legs and drags them off the couch. You move to sit up, "My mom's not a bitch." He states, plopping down beside you, "I'm your bitch, though? Aren't I?" You can't help but tease.

Everett smirks with red cheeks, "Ugh, I haven't even been home for 5 minutes and you're already trying to get into my pants? Freak." He snorts, wrapping an arm around you.

Oh, yeah. You almost forgot.

"Ha, speaking of getting into your pants." "At least let me shower first-"

"That's not what I mean," You state, Everett can feel the whiplash from how serious you suddenly became "I needed to tell you something." "Ooooh, sounds serious. Yeah, not sure if you've been paying attention, but I just got home. So...no thanks." Everett sighs, immediately growing defensively. You don't falter, you've been with Everett long enough to know that this is how he gets when met with pressure of any kind. Even though he's mellowed out a lot over the years, any form of pressure will trigger him to act like how he did when you first met him. "Come on! It's not even that bad. And I've waited all day to say this!" You sigh. Everett groans, he crosses his arms, "Fine! Fuck. Just get it over with so I can enjoy the rest of my day."

"I'm pregnant." You keep your words blunt and straight to the point. Everett's blue eyes blow wide, "You're...what?" He asks, Everett's throws his head back and shoots his hands up to cover his face. "Fuck. Fuck! FUCK! HOLY FUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUCK!" He shouts, "Yeah, that's kind of how it happened, Shortie." You tell him, your little joke earns you an instant glare, "Please, for once in your life. Shut the fuck up." Everett stresses. You pat his arm sympathetically, "Calm down, Everett. It's not the end of the world." You say.

Everett shoots you a look of disbelief, "Not the end of the...Did you forget who I am?" He asks. Everett grabs your hand and shakes it with a fake grin, "Hi, I'm Everett Gray. The guy who can barely fucking take care of himself, and now he's supposed to take care of a kid. That baby is screwed!" Everett releases your hand, the stress clear on his face. Even after all the time you known him, it's rare you get to see Everett impacted in this way. Sure, you've seen him get pissed so many time, but it was rare you could actually make out genuine fear in his eyes. "Eve, Shortie, calm down. You're not going to be taking care of a baby by yourself. You'll have me, your mom, and probably Nate." You state, Everett takes a deep breath, "...Yeah. Right. We'll probably be shitty parents, but our kid will have the best grandma and uncle..." He says.

Since he's starting to calm down, you decide to let the commet about you being a shitty mom slide.

"Besides..." Everett continues "You're not going to pop that baby out tomorrow. We've got time..." "That we do, Everett. We’ve got 9 whole months to get our shit together." You say with a grin filled with confidence. Everett lets out a breathless laugh of disbelief, cracking a grin of his own. Unsurprisingly, Everett stands up and grabs his phone, “I gotta call Mom back.” He mutters, leaving the room. You roll your eyes with an affectionate smile.

Everett pops his head back into the room for only a second, “Oh, and you’re in charge of telling Nate.” He quickly says before disappearing, your eyes widen.

“WHAT?!”

Nate

Nate walks into your shared bedroom, “Hey. Since when do you let me come home without immediately being at the door to tell me—” Nate pauses, spotting a box of tissues on the bed and a nervous…yet somehow still confident grin on your face.

“…Hey, Nate. Can we talk for a moment?” You ask, Nate’s guard goes up the exact second he hears the seriousness in your voice. You’re never serious. He’s the serious one. What could possibly be going on that you’re acting like this?! Nate stares at you, his eyes are already wide from panic. He shuts them and crosses his arms protectively his chest. “God, make it quick.” He says—maybe a little harsher than he should’ve, but it’s not his fault. All he wanted to do is come home and spend time with you relax.

What if you want to break up with him?

After all this time, you’d still abandon him?

Nate won’t be able to deal with that! You’ve already become so integral to his life!

You know better than to drag things on when Nate’s clearly already beginning to panic and overthink, “Congratulations, Mr Lawson. You are an amazing swimmer.” You tell him lightheartedly, he raises an eyebrow. “What?” He asks, his tense shoulders dropping only a little bit. You shoot finger guns in his directions, “I’m pregnant~”

The world freeze around Nate, his shoulders are tense again, he feels the exact same way he did before, but worse. You watch him carefully, you were expecting a big reaction out of him—like tears or something, but you weren’t expecting him to be so silent. Nate opens his mouth, all that comes out of him is a strained breath. “Candy…hey, can you talk to me?” You ask, cautiously reaching out for him.

Nate’s breathing is short and quick, the tears you were prepared for were already beginning to swell in his eyes. “Nate, listen, it’s going to be ok. A baby isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it just more of a guarantee that we will be together for the rest of our lives.” You tell him as you cup his cheek. Nate flinches before he shuts his eyes, he takes deeper breath, “You’re right. You’re right,” He starts “It’s not like we’re two dumb teenagers. We’re married now. This…this is something that comes with marriage.”

“Yeah, this is fine. I’m fine. I would—and will—be a wonderful dad.” Nate says “Yep. The best of the best. Expect no less from Nate Lawson.” You agree, the tenseness completely disappears from Nate’s body. “Come on.” He says, grabbing your hand and pulling you out of the bedroom. You raise an eyebrow when he grabs his car keys, “Where are we going?” You ask. Nate looks at you with a determine grin, “We’re going to look at cribs and bassinets. There’s no reason we shouldn’t start planning early.” He says. You laugh, “I guess you’re really gonna bring your A Game even in parenthood, huh?” You nudge him gently. Nate chuckles, his grin showing no sign of leaving anytime soon, “It’s the only way to be.” He says.

Shiloh…

Uh, I feel like I should mention that for this I’m writing “Mr Fields” Shiloh, (according to the OLBA wiki: “The “best” version. He’s polite and friendly and seems to mean it when he says he doesn’t want to be so phony anymore.”) mixed with my own interpretation of the guy. I honestly can’t remember if he was the version of Shiloh that had a dog, but he’s gonna have one anyway. The dog’s name is Popcorn, I’m stealing my neighbor’s dog’s name.

Shiloh sits at his desk, occasionally stopping whatever it is he’s doing to watch Popcorn run back and forth around the room. Shiloh chuckles, “You have a lot of energy. Just like your mama.” He says, resting his head on his palm. Both Shiloh and Popcorn snap their heads towards the door when they hear the doorknob jiggle.

You walk into the room, you pause when you see Shiloh’s wide grin. “…What did you do, Shya?” You ask knowingly, Shiloh only chuckles, “Nothing, but we were just talking about you literally a second before you came in. Your ears must’ve been burning.” He states “Huh, looks like I’ve turned into the stalker in this relationship,” You snort, Shiloh says nothing to confirm or deny that, “Anyway, listen up, Shya. I got something important to say—” “You’re pregnant.” Shiloh hums.

“How the hell did you know that?” You ask with wide eyes, “There were a lot of signs. You’ve been extra snippy and your period’s late are a few signs.” Shiloh explains. You stare at him with a dumbfounded expression, “Glad to know my assumption was right. I think that’s nice. So, is it mine?” Shiloh asks, he’s way too comfortable with casually asking you if you cheated on him. “What the—of course it’s yours!” You say offendedly, Shiloh’s causal grin drops slightly, “Huh…even it if is mine. Don’t you think you should fine someone else to help you raise it? We wouldn’t want me corrupting the poor kid with all my…issues.” He states.

Shiloh watches you, there’s a hopeful glint in his eyes. Whether it’s because he’s hoping you’ll stay or hoping he won’t have to raise this kid is mystery. “No way. I’m not just going to let you ditch me with that shitty excuse! If you can make the baby, you can raise the baby.” You tell him firmly. Shiloh stares at you with an unreadable expression, after a few moments, he smiles widely.

He stands up from his desk and wraps his arms around you, “Well, then…Ok! That’s amazing!” He says, pressing his freckled cheek against yours. Shiloh chuckles dryly, “Let’s just hope for the sake of humanity that this kid only inherits our good qualities…” He sighs gently. You pat his cheek, “All our qualities are good, Shya.” You state, Shiloh shakes his head, his smile strained and exhausted. “And thanks for not ditching me. I mean, I wouldn’t have let you, but I do appreciate you not putting up a fight.” You add, kissing his cheek.

“Anything for you…”

Bae

Shortest one because this pregnancy was actually planned

“Well?”

Bae sits on the edge of his seat as you exit the bathroom. He stares at you expectingly, “It’s positive.” You announce. Bae uncharacteristically launches up from his seat and wraps his arms around you. “Finally! Very soon, Muffin, we will have a baby. A perfect little bundle of joy.” He says “It’ll be the start to our army, huh?” You chuckle.

“Oh, yes, Starfish. We’ll be able to take over the world very soon. Once the baby starts walking it’ll be all over.” Bae jokes alongside you.

Jeremy

“Thanks so much for locking up for us, you two!” Jennifer says, she and Jackson wave goodbye as they make their way to the exit, “It’s no problem,” You say “Me and Jerebear could use the alone time. Huh, Jerebear?” You nudge him with your elbow. “Get away from me.” Jeremy sighs with zero hostility.

Jennifer and Jackson share knowingly looks before Jennifer chuckle, “Well, we will definitely get out your hair then. Make sure to clean up when you’re done, I don’t want any stains—” “MOM!” Jeremy snaps, she shoots her hands up with an unapologetic grin. The pair get into their car and drive off. Jeremy shudders in disgust, “Why must you always set her up for comments like that?” He asks “I can’t help it. It’s in my nature.” You snicker.

Jeremy rolls his eyes, walking away, “Slow down there, Jeremy.” You sigh, Jeremy shoots you a disgusted look, “Please don’t tell me you’re seriously trying…ugh, no. Not here. Especially not when that’s what Mom already thinks we’re going to do.” He says bitterly. “Not that. I had something important to say to you.” You snort, placing your hands on your hips. “Oh…? Uh, what is it?” Jeremy asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m pregnant.”

Jeremy’s eyes widen, “U-uh. Uh….um…” He mutters, Jeremy takes a second to study you as he tries to figure out what to say. He’s shocked expression fades once he sees how happy you are, he cracks the smallest of smiles and finally settles on saying, “Um…ok.”

There’s a pause, “Congrats?” Jeremy offers awkwardly. You laugh, “I don’t know why you’re congratulating me. You’re apart of this too.” You remind him. “Sigh, I know. But what else am I supposed to say here?” Jeremy sighs “Would’ve been a nice time for you to finally make good on that proposal you promised me.” You tease, Jeremy tenses. Right, he did agree to marry you at graduation…but it’s been a few years and you haven’t mentioned it until now. He thought you forgot about it.

Of course you didn’t forget…

“You still want to marry me? The past 5 years we’ve been together hasn’t scared you off yet?” Jeremy asks, and you notice that a lot of this conversation has been him raising his eyebrow or looking at you with wide eyes. “The part 5 years we’ve been together hasn’t taught you that you’re never ever getting rid of me?” You ask, Jeremy squishes his face into a pout, “Fine, but we’re not telling anyone about the baby until after we’re married.” He states.

You tilt your head in an unspoken question, Jeremy answers, “Everyone will probably assume this is a shotgun wedding.” “Ha, yeah, this is the setup for a shotgun wedding, isn’t it?” You laugh. Jeremy smirks a little, “Since this wedding is happening, you have to take over the cleaning.” He states “Uh, excuse me? And why can’t you help?” You ask, watching Jeremy walk off to another room.

“I have to make our wedding rings.”

Pran

Moonlight shines through the window as Pran quietly sketches on a large king bed. It wasn’t rare for him to be awake during the night. For most of Pran’s life, the late hours of the day was the only time he’d get to himself…it was the only time he could be himself. This still hasn’t really changed for Pran, whether he was staying with Jeremy or on campus at SSB. Even in his early adult years…now, Pran still refuses to sleep at a reasonable hour. This is the only time he can just exist as himself, by himself.

…Although, that’s technically not true anymore.

Pran glances away from his sketchbook to look at you. You were silently curled up in the blankets beside him, sleeping with a relaxed smile. Because of you, Pran doesn’t get to be alone anymore when he shuts himself off from the rest of world for the night. You’re here…you’ll still be here.

Even when Pran pushes you away, even when he purposefully tries to make things harder for you, even when he tells you again and again and again that he’s not worth dating.

You won’t go away. You’ve stuck by him more than his own parents would’ve…

Night time is the only time you’re quiet. Maybe except a little snores and deep breaths every now and then. It’s the only time where you’re still enough where Pran can truly look at you. Maybe even…appreciate you.

The sounds of Pran moving pencil is the only thing that can be heard in the room right now. He knows he’s never going to show you this sketch, but he wants to get the details right. His attention slowly shifts from your face to something further down.

Practically glowing in the moonlight, a ring rests on your finger.

Pran married you, he legally agreed to be stuck with you for the rest of his life…

And he’s…happy about it.

Your body tenses and your face hardens. Pran raises an eyebrow as your mutter to yourself. “Nooo…Panda…I’m sorry…” is the only thing he was able to make out. All your squirming and whining for him was starting to really make Pran feel…bad. And you’re supposed to be one of the few people that didn’t make him feel bad. Pran shuts his sketchbook and places it on the side of the bed. He shakes you awake, you flinch and look around with wide eyes. Your attention lands on Pran, the two of you stare at each other for a moment. “You were too loud.” Pran decides that will be the reasoning he gives you for waking you from your nightmare.

“Pfft. Sure, Pran. You’re not worry about me at all.”

Of course, you know him too well now…

Pran doesn’t bother responding to that comment, he has other things on his mind now. “What did you do?” He asks, raising an eyebrow, “Huh?” You ask. Pran narrows his eyes, “You were muttering apologies to me. What did you do?” He asks suspiciously, you frown. Well so much for telling him in the morning.

“First of all, I didn’t do anything. We’re both responsible for this.” You state, Pran looks more confused…until you utter out the words “And second…I’m pregnant.”, now, he just looks…horrified. Pran says nothing—which is common in your relationship. What isn’t common is for Pran to seem so…affected by your words. “Pran…?” You ask gently, you poke his cheek with your finger. Pran snaps out of his horrified state, he frowns and his eyes shift to glare at the floor.

You let out hum, “I know it’s hard to believe since I’m so talented, but I’m not a mindreader, Panda. Can you tell me what you’re thinking?” You ask. When Pran first met you, he would’ve saw that confident smile and assumed you were taking the situation or him seriously. But now he’s been around you for half a decade. Sure, your smile’s confident, but your eyes…your eyes are filled with fear.

Did you think he was going to leave you to take care of the baby on your own?

“I…” Pran sighs “I don’t know the first thing about being a parent.” You smile sympathetically, “Well, I hope not. I’m expecting this kid to be your first.” You joke. Pran still frowns, “Come on, Panda. I don’t know much about being a parent either, my only experience is that one time I worked at that daycare with Bae,” You state “Actually, you know what. I’m basically an expert. So, don’t worry. I’ll help you understand fatherhood. Besides, you could never be worse than your own parents.”

You wink at Pran, he rolls his eyes, but you could still see a small smile forming on his face. “Fine. You’re right…there’s no parent worse than my parents.” He states, letting out a quiet sigh to calm himself, “Exactly.” You say, you glance at the clock. “Oof, it’s that late? Well, I think that I’ll be able to rest easy now. Night, Panda. Try not to stay up too late~” You chuckle, blowing him a kiss as you lay into a comfortable position.

Pran doesn’t say anything, he waits a few moments until he hears the soft snores leaving your mouth. He leans over and picks his sketchbook back up.

If he wasn’t motivated to sketch you before he sure is now.

…

What? Thought I was done? HA! Nope, one more person!

Jerk Lynn

Jerk Lynn is 18 in this, but you guys are still in your senior year of high school.

Lynn’s eye twitches in annoyance, “I can’t believe this…she asks me to take time out of my day and meet her, and she can’t even show up on time?” He grumbles to himself. He whips his head towards the sound of footsteps, he glares at you once you’re in his sight.

“Oh, finally! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?! Unlike you, I actually have better things to do than go on dates-” “Lynn, shut up for a second.” You sigh, rolling your eyes. He does stop talking, but it does nothing to soothe the irritation radiating from him. “Look, we need to talk.” You start, Lynn’s eyes widen, “There is no way in hell you’re breaking up with me. You don’t break up with me, I break up with you.” He says.

“That’s not what I called you for, but I’m glad our relationship means that much to you.” You scoff lightheartedly. Lynn rolls his eyes, “Yeah, right, Twerp. Let’s not forget, you’re lucky to be dating me, not the other way around.” He states, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “If it’s not to break up, why did you want to meet?” He asks. “You and that stupid thing in your pants got me pregnant.” You say bluntly, Lynn stares at you.

“There’s no way-”

“There is.”

“And it’s mine?”

“No, duh, dumbass.”

Lynn groans, “How are you gonna take care of a baby?! You’re supposed to be taking care of me.” He sigh, stomping his foot against the path. “Wow, yeah, that’s the main concern here. How am I gonna take care of you—not the new life I’ll be bringing into this world or whatever.” You scoff “You can focus on both.” Lynn huffs, you shake your head. “Man, it’s a good thing you’re hot and I’m shallow…” You sigh. “Whatever, Twerp. It doesn’t really matter how, you’re stuck with me.” Lynn snickers.

“Now, was that it?” Lynn asks, you wave him off with an annoyed sigh, “That was it.” You state, pinching the bridge of your nose. Lynn smirks at your reaction, “Good. See you around, nerd.” He says as he walks away. His expression grows more and more panicked the further away he gets. “Shit. Shit…” He sighs, kicking a soda can into the street…

Jeremy stares at you with wide eyes, but as always your confidence is unwavering.

“Or at least move in with me! Do I need to explain why that’s so perfect?” You ask, Jeremy slowly shrinks back with a squished expression, “Please…don’t.” “Your parents wouldn’t have the heart to tear you away from your one true love~” You giggle. “One true love?” Jeremy asks, frowning in…disgust? Horror? Something else? He can’t even figure it out himself.

“Uuuuuuh…” He mutters, his cheeks growing redder by the second “Would being with me really be worse than being stuck at your parents’ hobby shop?” You ask “Uh…I dunno…possibly. Probably…” He says, you snicker at his expression. “Look, how about this, Jerebear. I’ll give you some time to think about it, but I’m expecting an answer after graduation.” You tell him, “You…you’re actually serious?” Jeremy asks “Of course. I already told you you’re too adorably precious to let go. I’m not asking to marry you right away—I’m not Bae, I just want first dibs when a shy guy like you is finally ready to get married.” You say.

Jeremy stops in his tracks, standing in front of the school’s entrance awkwardly. You were a few steps ahead when you noticed his stopped, you roll your eyes affectionately, “I know you’re shook, but you can’t stay here, Baby. If we linger any longer, we’re gonna be late for graduation. How about you hold my nicely washed, extremely clean hand~?” You hold your hand out to Jeremy. Eventually, Jeremy surprised expression fades back into his usual miserable one. He hesitantly links his cold hand with your warmer one. With a sigh from Jeremy, the two of you continue to graduation.

…

It’s been a few hours since graduation and Jeremy and his parents met your parents. Jeremy made a few lighthearted comments to you about how you possibly could’ve turned out the way you did, but quickly shut down for any more conversation attempts with him. At least both sets of parents were getting along perfectly. Even Pran interacted with the group for a total of 10 seconds before leaving to avoid his own parents. You watch wordless as your parents and Jeremy’s parents interact. It was interesting sight, sucks your sisters couldn’t come too-

“Ok.”

You shoot Jeremy a confused look, “Huh?” You asks, he stares at you before looking ahead. “If you don’t get it, don’t worry about it. Agreeing to it was hard enough, I’m not elaborating too.” He sulks. You pause and frown in thought. Jeremy agreed to…it? Jeremy agreed to…what was the last thing you talked to him about that he’d have to agree to—you let out a gasp, earning the attention of both your parents. “You make this a big deal now, I’m changing my mind.” Jeremy hisses quickly, you playfully zip your lips with your finger. The parents look over at the two of you for a just a second longer before going back to their conversation.

“So…when?” You ask, “Ugh, I don’t know. Not any time soon. Can we stop talking a about this?” He sighs “How can I not talk about this? You basically just agreed to spend the rest of your—hopefully really long—life with me.” You pout, Jeremy only smirks, an exhausted look in his eyes, “You have no reason to complain. You know how am I—even worse, you like it. Guess you just gotta suck it up.” He says.

A soft chuckle leaves you as you shake your head, “Fiiiine, but you’re lucky you’re cute and I actually do enjoy how ridiculously you are,” You state “Also, I get to break the news to Pran.” Jeremy raises an eyebrow “Uh…why would you want to do that? He won’t care.” He says. “Yes he will. When it comes to you, Pran always cares. We have the in common.” You hum, you pull out your phone and begin texting Pran. Jeremy watching with an exhausted smile as it sinks it that this is his life now…

You’re lazily strolling through the campus when you spot a familiar head of green hair. “Not again…” You sigh, storming over, “What is happening here? Jeremy, I thought you were napping.”

Rex and Jeremy turn to you, “I was,” Jeremy sighs “This thing woke me up.” “Alright. Rex, explain. Why are you harassing the green munchkin?” You ask, Rex huffs, “We’ve got beef.” You stare a him blankly, “In what possible way?” You ask. “So, yeah, hear me out. His last name is King and my name means king. I can’t let him walk around like it’s nothing’. I’ve gotta show him who’s the real boss.” Rex explains.

You and Jeremy share matching dumbfounded expressions. “…Please let this be a joke…” You mutter “I’m dead serious. There can only be one and I’m the king ‘round here.” Rex states. Jeremy’s face squishes into an annoyed pout, “I have no hope for humanity.” He sighs deeply “What’re you saying?!” Rex shouts, Jeremy rolls his eyes, “Sigh. You can haven’t title. I don’t want it.” You crack a knowingly affectionate smile at Jeremy being the pushover he is. “See what a pansy he is?! Not when gonna put up a fight. He doesn’t deserve that name!” Rex scoffs. You snicker, “Uh huh, you know what? I deserve that name.”

Jeremy raises an eyebrow, but cringes when you blow him a kiss. “Don’t you think so, Jeremy?” You ask, he blushes and looks away, “Uh…I guess…if you want it.” He mumbles “I’m glad you agree~” You say, grinning confidently. “You’d rock a name like King. But we haven’t settled this yet! He’s still got too much of a claim to it.” Rex says. You laugh, “I think the point went right on over your head there, Rexo.”

Rex turns to Jeremy with determination in his eyes, “How are we gonna do this, Germy?” He asks, Jeremy shuts his eyes and sighs. After a moment, he opens his eyes, “I have a bottle of liquid cleaner, whoever drinks the most wins.” He says, holding up the bottle. “Pffft! Jeremy!” You laugh in disbelief, Rex snatches the bottle out of his hands, “You’re on!” He says “Rex!” You wheezed. Jeremy shrugs “Ok.” “You can’t be serious.” You say, Rex only grins “If they sell it in a store, it has to be safe. Let’s do it.”

Rex press the bottle to his lips and starts drinking, he winces, but continues to drink, pacing around as he does so, “That means it’s safe to clean with, not to drink!” You shout “I didn’t even say I got it in a store. It’s my own mix.” Jeremy tells you. “Oh my god…” You sigh with an exhausted grin. You both watch Rex chug down the cleaner, “Could he actually die from that stuff?” You ask. Jeremy shrug, “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. Whatever.” “If he does make it, you’re still not gonna drink any are you? You’re just gonna concede victory to him.” You ask.

“Yep.” Jeremy says “Aha…this is such a disaster. It’s also pretty funny.” You snort. Rex begins coughing violently, he stumbles back over to you and Jeremy. “T-There…I…hurck…I drank…s-something.” He gags over his words, swaying side to side, “Yep. You did.” Jeremy says. “Poor boy. Punished by his own hubris.” Rex groans and steps closer to you, “I f…feel not so good…” He mumbles.

Rex lurches forward, vomiting on your legs and shoes, you let out a shriek. You groan in disgust, not even noticing the instant shift in Jeremy’s disposition. “That’s so dis-”

Jeremy moves quicker than you ever thought he could, stabbing Rex with a pair of scissors, you blink in surprise when Rex hits the ground.

“-gusting…” You finish, Jeremy stares at you with a crazed look in his eyes, panting heavily, “Welp, if he wasn’t gonna die from his stomach dissolving, he sure is dead now.” You chuckle once the shock wears off. Jeremy shuts his eyes, silently fuming. “We should cleanup. I definitely need a shower.” You sigh “No.” Jeremy says. You snort in surprise, “Really? You’re saying no to me taking a shower? Besides, body cleanup is like your favorite part.”

Jeremy’s eye twitches, “Your feet will never be sanitary again. They can’t just be cleaned up. He ruined them. He defiled them!” He explains angrily, he calms down. “I’ll cut them off for you.” He says “The hell?! No thanks!” You say quickly, backing away when Jeremy steps closer, “I have anesthetic and my room is cleaned to surgical standards. You won’t die.” He states “Did you prepare for this possibility?!” You shout.

“Isn’t it obvious? There was a pretty good chance something like this could happen. It would’ve been dumb not to be ready.” Jeremy says “That makes it even worse!” You sigh. Jeremy shrugs, unfazed, “Ok.” He looks at you with that crazed look again, “Come with me. I’ll have to cut off more if you keep letting it fester on you.”

You slowly step away from him, “Hey, hold on. When you think about it; he was spewing cleaning supplies so is it really all that bad…aha…?” You laugh nervously “It isn’t bad, it’s repulsive! It’s unforgivable! There’s only one way I can fix it…” Jeremy approaches you. You yelp, breaking out into a sprint. Jeremy shouts your name in very clear frustration, but doesn’t make much of an effort to chase you.

(That’s one thing about dear old Jeremy, he’s too much of a pushover to push the issue for too long. He’ll give into what anyone wants eventually.)

You head straight for the girls’ dorms, getting into the shower as fast as you can.

…

(Ugh, it’s times like this I wish I had my phone. Next time I’m see Shiloh, I’m gonna kick his ass until he gives my phone back.)

The sky is dark as you walk to your room. You managed to sneak in a two hour shower without anyone stopping you. Jeremy would be satisfied with how clean you were. Sadly, your shoes couldn’t be saved. Oh well, just an excuse to buy more.

You could drag Jeremy to the store with you and make a date out of it. Yeah, that’s a perfect plan.

You push open your door, wanting nothing more than to collapse into your bed and sleep off today. “Hopefully, Jeremy’s getting some sleep. I’m sure he’ll forget all about today by tomorrow.” You sigh, you turn to lock your door.

(Hey, wait a second…why wasn’t my door locked before I got here—

A large pair of arms wrap around you before a hand covers your mouth. A muffle shriek echos in the room and you dig your nails into the skin of your attacker, you slowly manage to look over your shoulder. Pran stares at you with his usual look of indifference, but there’s something else in his eyes, “Jeremy’s been looking for you.” He states. You stare at Pran with wide eyes as he pulls out a wet cloth.

Without saying a word, Pran presses the cloth over your mouth and nose. You struggle in his grip…slowly feeling dizzy as the world darkens around you.

…

You’re…cold. Really really cold.

But your legs feel so warm, you sluggishly move to touch your leg—only to come in contact with…nothing. Startled, you jolt into a sitting position, the act makes your head spin, but that isn’t what made you feel so nauseous…

“You shouldn’t be sitting up right now.”

Jeremy’s voice is muffle through the mask on his face, he watches you as he cleans off a bloody tool. “I had to chop off a lot more than I wanted too. I warned you to let me cut them off while it was still fresh.” He sighs, you look down at the nubs that were now your legs, “…What the fuck?!” You scream at him, you throw the closest thing to you at him…sadly the closest thing to you was a pillow, and you’re still too out of it to have a good aim.

Jeremy’s expression is unfazed as the pillow zooms past him, hitting the wall, “You should be happy. You’re finally clean of that idiot’s germs.” He says “I was clean before you did this! I took a shower—a long fucking shower!” You shout, mind buzzing in a panic. You knew Jeremy was crazy, but is he seriously expecting you to be grateful he CUT OFF YOUR LEGS?!

“How am I supposed to walk?! You know, live life?! See people?! Go on dates?! Kinda need legs for that, Jeremy!” You rant “Uh…actually. There are plenty of people who live just fine without legs.” Jeremy says. “Oh, really? And how am I supposed to angrily storm off right now? Am I supposed to use my hands and crawl?” You ask bitterly, glaring at Jeremy. His orange eyes darken, “You not going anywhere,” He says “You’re finally clean. Why would I let you go back out there and let you get infected all over again…?”

“You gotta be kidding. There’s no way, you’re actually considering keeping me here?” You scoff “I’ve already considered it. I’ve kinda wanted this for a while. Keeping you away from everyone, having you be forever clean and truly mine. It’s one of the things that keep me up at night.” Jeremy states, his tone’s so…nonchalant, like he’s telling you about his day. “I’m gonna leave eventually, Jeremy. You can’t just keep me here forever. Besides, you’ll give up and do what I want eventually.” You say.

Jeremy gently pats what’s left of your leg, you flinch a little. “Not this time. Today is the final straw.” He says. “WHAT?! Now is when you wanna grow a backbone?!” You shout, you glare at him, “Are you even thinking straight, Jeremy?! Did you forget that you’re not the only maniac that’s obsessed with me?!” “Of course not, they’ll be taken care of.” Jeremy says.

“Pran’s willing to share you. And he’s been wanting to take down Shiloh for months, Everett’s so stupid that he’s an easy target, it won’t take much to get Nate to kill Bae, and once he finds out Everett is dead, Nate won’t be stable enough to even care about you.” He says. Jeremy sighs, “Everything’s already been thought out. It’s up to you where we go from here.” Jeremy cold hands grabs your chin to keep your attention on him.

“Are you going to fight me? Or are you going to be a good girl?”

You take another look at your legs before looking at Jeremy again.

❤️…

The choice is yours…should you just give up and accept this?

“Wake up!” You shout, stomping your foot beside his body. Jeremy jolts, “What?!” He shouts. You smirk at the sight of drool rolling down the side of his mouth, “You were asleep in the grass.” You state simply “…And?” Jeremy sighs, “And that’s probably not good for your back, and also I wanted to talk to you.”

Jeremy looks at you in annoyance, “Sigh. You know that’s a really dumb idea, right? If my tools were next to me, you could’ve been short an eye before I realized who it was.” “Haha, nice to see you too, Jeremy.” You wave off his concerns with practiced ease. “There’s nothing nice about this.” Jeremy scoffs “Too bad.” You laugh.

“Yep, that’s life. Misery.” Jeremy sighs, there’s a brief moment of silence. Jeremy stares at you in confusion, “…Uh? Didn’t you want to talk to me?” He asks “Right. Any clue where Pran is?” You ask him. Jeremy sighs deeper than before—almost sounding bitter, “You have his number, you can just call him.” He says.

“I’m pretty sure Shiloh stole my phone.” You let out your own sigh. “Yep, that sounds like something Shiloh would do.” Jeremy says, resting his head on his palm tiredly as his eyes slowly close. “Well…?” You urge, Jeremy’s eyes snap open, “Uh…last time I talked to him, he said he needed to head back to the meeting room.” He states “Aha! One step closer to finding my man! Thanks Jeremy.” You say. “Um, whatever.” Jeremy shrugs you off and you quickly take off to the meeting room.

………

“Oh, Praaaaaan! Are you in here?” You call out into the seemingly empty meeting room. You frowns, placing your hands on your hips. (I swear if Jeremy was lying I’ll-)“…What do you want?” Pran asks, he pops up from behind a table. “Ah! There you are, Pran. What in the world are you doing in here of all places?” You ask. “I wanted to see how long it would take for someone to notice I never left.” Pran states.

You scoff, “Oh, please, I know you walked out with the rest of them. Besides, your bestie already informed me that you returned to this room, not lingered. What’s the real story?” Pran sighs and crosses his arms. “…I forgot something.” “Ha ha, you’re such a card.” You snort, grinning smugly. Pran shoots you an unimpressed look, “Did you find what you needed?” You ask.

“Why do you care?” Pran asks suspiciously, you roll your eyes, “Cuz I’m gonna steal it if you didn’t find it. Why do you think? I’m just curious.” You sigh. “I would do that.” Pran states bluntly, your grin returns immediately, “I know, Pran. You’re a freakin’ thief. That’s the joke. Is the thing you ‘forgot’ even actually yours?” You ask. Pran glares at you, “Yes, if I say something is mine, then it’s mine.” Pran says. “Ok, ok, so you have it or not?” You ask “That’s none of your business.” Pran scoffs.

“You’re so difficult.” You sigh affectionately, Pran smirks, “…Hey, I got an idea! Let me help you look.” You suggest. “No.” Pran says instantly, “Why not? I can be very helpful~” You grin at him. “You’re wrong. Besides, you don’t actually want to help me.” Pran scoffs. “Well, you do have a point, Pran. I don’t care about helping you find…whatever you lost-” Pran opens his mouth with a frown “BUT! I do care about spending time with you~” “I don’t care.” Pran glares at you. You put your hands on your hips and the two of you have a glare off, ultimately, you sigh.

❤️…

(Screw him, I’ll find that…whatever he lost for him and he can’t do anything to stop me)

(Screw him, I got better things to do anyway)

“Fine. You’re too tough for me. I’ll just leave you to your lonesome.”