Hello readers! This is my first fanfiction, and I hope you enjoy this, even though I don't have that much experience yet- my apologies if it turns out crappy. It's going to be a somewhat long oneshot, unless I can think of any ideas to expand on the story further. Any criticism/suggestions/feedback is much appreciated. Also there is going to be swearing, sorry.

This does contain spoilers for both musicals (especially Be More Chill), so make sure you're well in the loop before reading!

And yes, this does contain references to both Boyf Riends and Lams (in this case, seemingly unrequited).

The reflection in the bathroom mirror said it all- Michael Mell was a mess.

He could barely even see through his tear-stained glasses. How long had he been in here again? Hours...? Whatever. It would probably be best if he just got out of here- maybe fry his brain on alcohol first, why the heck not. It's not like he even cared anymore. He was pretty much done with caring at this point.

Finally getting up, he wiped off his glasses, opened the door, and kept his head down as he made his way to the drinks table. He grabbed a cup, filled it all the way, and found a place against the wall to sit down. With nothing else to do, he observed the people at the party with a blank stare.

Damnit... why does it have to be a slow dance song? There were a lot of couples out there. And here he was, with the one person he ever imagined he'd be out there with completely out of his life- probably for good. A

Don't you dare start crying again-

He felt a presence nearby, near the same corner he was at. A poofy-haired kid in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume had sat down a few feet away, watching the couples with a dejected look, red cup in hand. At least someone seemed to know how Michael felt- though he did honestly feel bad. No one should have to go through, well, that.

After a few minutes he heard someone speak up- the guy next to him.

"Parties suck, right?" He mumbled with a halfhearted laugh.

Michael looked back at the couples and let out a sigh. "...Yeah," he uttered, anxiously tapping his cup with his fingers. "Someone gets it." He shrugged and turned towards him, staring at the wall. He didn't know if he wanted to talk about it, but hey, might be nice.

Ninja Turtle Dude downed the rest of his beer, crushed the cup, threw it towards a nearby trash can (he missed)- then turned back towards Michael. "So, who is it?" He asked, still staring with an empty gaze at the couples in the middle of the room.

Michael stared back towards the couples as well before sipping his beer. "Let's just say- one of my friends. Don't know if I wanna talk about it, at least not in public." He finished off his own cup and started absentmindedly tearing it apart, probably to relieve stress. "What 'bout you?"

The boy shrugged. "Same. Let's just say- he literally just met this girl and already is head over heels. And...I guess it just really hurts. I dunno." He grew quiet, and pointed a finger to a kid dressed as a Revolutionary War soldier, dancing with a girl in a blue dress.

Michael felt empathetic for this guy. Damn- he knows that feeling all too well. Even just thinking about it- remembering when it all first sunk in...

He let out a groaning sigh. "Should we just, like, get out of here?" He asked, throwing away his plastic cup. "This party sucks ass anyway." He took off his glasses again. They were still all smudged with dried tears, which he tried to wipe off. Hopefully no one noticed that his eyes were red and puffy- ah, probably too late for that anyways.

Ninja Turtle nodded after a minute. "Let's go," he muttered, standing up. Michael did the same and they wove their way through the crowd, hoping they wouldn't be noticed. Eventually they made it outside. Michael sighed and leaned against the wall. The stars were dim tonight and covered by clouds. Figures. Turtle kid turned around. "You good? I mean- obviously not, but if you wanna talk about it now..." He had a face of concern. Funny that he'd seem to care so much, considering he was having problems of his own.

Michael got up. "Yeah...I guess." They began walking down the street, but it was a minute until Michael said anything.

"So... My friend...I've known him since we were kids, and- well I guess I like him," he began, tugging onto one arm with the other. "But he likes this girl, and in order to get her to like him, tried to become popular and shit..." He decided to leave out any part about the SQUIP- probably wouldn't believe him, he figured.

"And then...tonight, we had an argument- and he called me..." Refusing to say the word aloud, he paused mid-sentence.

Loser.

Michael shook his head. Stop thinking, no-

He swallowed. "And now I guess...we aren't really friends...anymore..." He looked down, clenching his fists. Of course his face was wet again- cool, fine. Whatever.

Loser. You pathetic, fucking los-

He immediately stiffened when he was pulled into a hug. Should he trust this kid? He didn't want to be hurt again, but... this hug felt nice. Slowly, he relaxed and hugged back tightly, beginning to sob into the other's shoulder.

"Hey. I don't know how to comfort people for shit, and I can only imagine how bad you must feel. But thanks for telling me." The kid said without releasing his grip. Michael only nodded.

They stayed like that for a while until he stopped crying (which was several minutes), and they pulled away.

"Sorry for...kinda breaking down," Michael said with a laugh, wiping off his face. "Just...yeah."

They walked down the street in silence. Trick-or-treating children were beginning to decrease as it grew late and the moon was nearing its peak in the sky. "You know, I never got your name," Michael said suddenly, turning towards the poofy haired boy.

"Oh, right- Laurens. John Laurens," he- John- said, sticking his hand out. Michael shook it lightly. "Nice. M'name's Michael, and that's my street," he said, pointing towards a road they were approaching. "So...I guess I should be going." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

John nodded. "I guess I gotta thank you- I mean, for giving me someone to talk to," he said.

Michael smiled a bit. "I should be the one thanking you- I mean...I'm doing better than before," he replied. At least he could speak in something other than mumbles now.

"So I guess...see you around?"

"Yeah. See ya."

After a shake of hands, Michael waved at John as their paths separated. He still didn't know if he wanted to fully trust other people yet...but at least there was still some good in this world. Whatever. His plans to get stoned out of his mind still remained, but at least he felt a little less crappy. A little.

Were those...fire sirens he heard in the distance? Eh, probably just passing through, he thought as he shut the door to his home.

Though there was no fire around (at least as far as Michael knew), he still didn't feel cold anymore.