A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for the wait and sorry for how long this chapter turned out to be. Thank you everyone who helped me with ideas and sorry if your idea isn't fully presented the way you hoped, but hopefully you can still enjoy this chapter. Thanks again guys. :)
Jeremy sits curled up on his bed messing with his frizzy hair. He hadn't moved from the spot Mike had set him down in. He couldn't hear Mike or Doll talking, but he could definitely hear their thumping footsteps around the house. Jeremy sighs and slowly stands. A small whimper escapes him as he stands straight. His back and waist still are sore. Jeremy stiffly walks to the door and to the kitchen, not looking at the couple standing there. He makes his way to the cabinets and searches for something sweet. He always craves sweets or sugar when he's healing up. Doll clears her throat to get the teen's attention. Jeremy sighs and turns around to face Doll. She's playing with a particularly curly strand of hair.
"Jere...Vincent and Scott are coming over any minute now. Why don't you sit and wait with us?" She asks in a kind voice. Jeremy sighs and slumps down in a chair. He jolts and tenses at the sudden stinging pain. He relaxes with a sigh and places his folded hands on his lap. Doll and Mike look nervously at each other. Doll reaches for Jeremy's hand and squeezes it lightly. Jeremy squeezes back a tad harder, but lets her slip her hand away.
Vincent bursts through the front door and quickly walks to Jeremy. He kneels down in front of him and gently rests his hands on Jeremy's shoulders.
"Jere, oh God, are you alright?" Vincent asks with panic clearly laced in his voice. Jeremy hesitates before nodding.
"What happened? Mike and Doll called us but they just said you were hurt. Who hurt you?" Vincent ask frantically. Vincent's voice turns venomous at the last question. Jeremy gulps and looks down. He knows the question was bound to pop up, but he wishes he could've prolonged it for at least a few more seconds. He avoids eye contact and lowers his head. Vincent gently cups his cheek and turns Jeremy's head back to him.
"Who hurt you, Jere?" Vincent says using a softer tone. Jeremy whines and looks around for help. Doll, Mike, Scott and even Violet have their curious gazes on him. No one interrupts Vincent's questioning. Jeremy's stomach ties itself in uncomfortable knotts as his abuser's name boils in his throat. After opening and closing his mouth a few times, Jeremy's voice finally works with his mind.
"P...Promise me you won't k... kill him, and I'll t-tell you." Jeremy says in a low voice. Vincent nods and leans in. Jeremy looks away and takes a deep breath.
"It was… my d-dad. He...he did... things t-to me, alright? I'm f-fine now. Please l-let it go." Jeremy whispers. He feels Vincent's grasp tighten for a split second before completely letting go.
"What kinds of things?" Vincent asks in a quieter tone. Jeremy whines and hugs himself.
"Jere, it's ok. You're safe here. Nothing bad will happen if you tell us." Vincent adds. Jeremy sighs then nods.
"A-alright. He just d-did...um...he d-did disgusting th-things. I d-don't wanna talk a-about it anymore." Jeremy whispers. He gulps and starts shaking. Vincent stands and gives him a soft smile. He mumbles something about a talk before leaving the kitchen and calls for Scott, Doll and Violet to follow him. They all glance at each other before slowing getting up and walk to the front door with Vincent. The man looks at Mike, who's following next to Doll, and tells him to stay with Jeremy in a strict voice. Before Mike can glare and start a fight, Doll grips his arm and give Jeremy a saddened look. Jeremy stands from his chair and walks to the middle of the kitchen to watch them leave.
"Please stay with him. Look after him for just a few minutes. I'm not sure what Vinny's planning on exactly, but I have a good idea. I'm gonna try talking him out of it and then we'll be right back in." Doll says. She grips his arm a little tighter and kisses him, before following Violet out the door.
Mike and Jeremy stand at opposite ends of the kitchen, staring at each other. Mike glances around the room, but Jeremy doesn't break his stare. Mike can't stand the awkward silence any longer and looks at the clock.
"It's about dinner time. Do you want something to eat?" Mike asks, shuffling around the kitchen. Jeremy sniffs and starts shaking. Mike looks at him, not quite sure what Jeremy's doing. Jeremy sinks to the ground and sobs into his hands. Mike's eyes widen in surprise. He glances to the door then back to Jeremy. Slowly, he kneels down and pulls the teen into a hug. Jeremy tightly wraps his arms around Mike and weeps into his shoulder. The man listens closely as Jeremy starts mumbling and hugs tighter.
"M-Mike. I'm sorry. I-I'm so so s-sorry." Jeremy whimpers. He repeats this over and over again. Mike pries Jeremy away and cover his mouth. Jeremy stops talking.
"Look, kid. I have no clue what the hell you've been through or what happen to you, but don't apologize. I didn't see you do anything wrong. Unless you got a body hidden somewhere, you're fine. C'mon. Let's get you off the floor." Mike stands and helps Jeremy up. Jeremy tries wiping his tears away, though they don't stop falling. Mike takes Jeremy's trembling hand and guides him to the couch. Jeremy's whimpers and sniffling start dying down as he sits next to Mike. The older man slowly inches an arm around Jeremy shoulders. The two stay silent and unmoving. Mike glances at Jeremy with every small huff or whine he makes.
"H-Hey, Mike?" Jeremy says. He keeps his eyes staring straight ahead. Mike hums in response.
"Y-You can leave me h-here. I'll be ok watching t-tv. You c-can go do what you w-want. I don't want t-to be a burden t-to you." Jeremy mumbles. Mike wraps his other arm around Jeremy and shushes him. Mike hopes he's not making The skittish teen uncomfortable.
"Jermey, we both know you won't be alright. I might not know much about guys like you, but I know when someone's lying to me. And kid, you don't make it that hidden." Mike says and pulls away enough to look Jeremy in the eyes. Mike's expression is somehow both stern and soft.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm just n-not used to being w-worried about that often.I-It's weird." Jeremy mutters and looks away. Mike pulls Jeremy into a quick hug then turns on the tv. He hands the remote to Jeremy and tells him he can watch whatever he wants. Jeremy flips through the channels, not really finding anything interesting. He doesn't watch tv all that often since he doesn't have one in his room and being downstairs at the wrong time is always a risk. Jeremy stops on some comedy show and sets down the remote. Mike glances at Jeremy then fully relaxes into the couch. Jeremy hugs his legs close to him and makes a few nervous attempts before fully leaning against Mike's arm. Mike tenses then quickly relaxes once he sees the anxiousness in Jeremy's eyes. He pats Jeremy's head then focuses back on the show.
A half an hour passes by as Jeremy and Mike laugh and become more relaxed around each other. Jeremy had luckily put on a stand up comedian that they both enjoy. Just as the comedian's getting ready to say the punch line of a drinking story, their friends stumble through the door. Mike quickly pauses the special, stands and stretches. Vincent silently walks to them with a slight limp and motions the two to follow him into the kitchen. Jeremy and Mike look at each other before following. Once everyone is settled in the kitchen, Mike speaks.
"So Vincent, how'd the fight go?" He asks. Vincent glares then rubs his swollen cheek.
"Vinny? Y-You got into a f-fight? With w-who?"Jeremy asks and gently presses his hand against Vincent's bruised cheek. Vincent winces. He looks down as he responds.
"Jere, I honestly didn't mean to fight. I just wanted an explanation, but he threw a glass bottle at me and got pissed and it just turned into a mess." Vincent says with regret. Jeremy gives a confused look towards Scott and Doll.
"I-I'm still confused. Wh-Who did you fight?" Jeremy asks again. Violet, leaning against the farthest wall, crosses her arms.
"He means your uh dad." Violet says. She focuses on picking her nails when Jeremy's pale face turns even whiter.
"Y-Y-You fought my dad!? Wh-Why!? You didn't k-k-kill him did you!?" Jeremy asks. His breathing speeds up until he's nearly hyperventilating. Vincent gives him a surprised and an almost hurt look.
"No. I just went to talk to him, he let us in, I brought up your name and he starts trash talking you. I ask him why he hurt you the way he did then he starts laughing and throws a damn beer bottle at us and him and I started fighting. I got him a few good times before I got dragged away." Vincent explains and rub his jaw. He winces and pulls his hand away with a smirk.
"The good news is that I don't think he'll be messing with anymore, if he knows what's good for him." Vincent smiles up at Jeremy. The teen stares at him for a couple seconds. He looks at everyone before glaring.
"Vincent...how d-dare you! You p-promised not to hurt him and wh-what do you do!? You go a-ahead and fight him! I-I can deal with the p-pain he gives me! I-I don't need someone t-to go and start m-making my dad hate me e-even more!" Jeremy shouts. He slams his fist onto the table and stands up. Everyone stares at Jeremy in shock. Not even Doll, in all her years of knowing him, has seen Jeremy get angry before. The hate in his eyes and his aggressive stance are more than jarring.
"Jeremy, you looked so broken when I saw you come out of that house. Even before then, you looked like an empty puppet whenever we were around your house. Surely, you can't like being there." Doll asks quietly. Jeremy's glare shifts to her and intensifies.
"Y-You know what? I d-do! I love d-damn house and that damn a-asshole!" He yells at her. Doll's mouth drops. The room goes silent. Uneasy glances pass around the room, waiting for the next person to speak. Violet leans forward.
"Why?" She asks calmly. Jeremy snaps his head to Violet.
"Because I m-made a promise to my m-mom that I'd n-never stop loving him and I-I will try my damnedest to k-keep that promise! We both kn-knew he makes m-mistakes but we love h-him! And i-if you love me, then y-you'll never betray me l-like that again!" Jeremy screams. Once he's done, he huffs then storms out of the kitchen to the front door.
"Jeremy, we didn't betray you! We were just trying to help! It just got a little out of hand. Your dad is still breathing just fine." Doll says with a serious face. Jeremy lets out a cold laugh.
"Yeah, I-I guess asking m-me uncomfortable questions a-and then leaving me t-to go and fight m-my father after pr-promising not to i-isn't betrayal is it? Hm, I-I guess not!" Jeremy shouts. Mike clears his throat.
"I can get why you're upset, but don't you think your dad needed a little roughing up?" Mike asks. Jeremy lets out annoyed sigh.
"D-Do you all h-honestly think y-you know who m-my father is or what d-drove him to do what h-he does to me!? H-Have you seen wh-what we do to pr-prove we love each other!? Y-You think you h-honestly understand my s-situation!? You don't e-even respect my r-requests to not get i-involved just because you th-think it's wrong! You th-think I'm too w-weak!" Jeremy screams as he points his glare to everyone.
"You kn-know what!? I'm taking a-a walk! Maybe you sh-should all think a-about how to respect a fr-friend's wishes!" Jeremy shouts while walking out and slams the door with all his might. He takes off down the street. He's too furious to notices how far he's running or even where he's running too. All he wants is to get as far away as possible from his friends. He feels so betrayed and so hurt and so unbelievably angry. These horrid feeling fuel his legs to run faster and his lungs to endure the burning sensations. His thoughts begin to wander into dark territories when tugs at heart are too painful to ignore. Jeremy grips his chest and pushes himself to run faster. He wishes he could squeeze his eyes shut tight to stop them from tearing up, but he's sure he'd trip. He blinks the tears away and tries to push his legs to their limit.
Jeremy slows down only when his body threatens to give out on him. He wheezes as he drags his suddenly heavily legs. Jeremy looks around for something familiar to tell him where exactly he is. Everything sort of blurred while he ran. Jeremy quickly notices the pizzeria. He realizes he must've tapped into his adrenaline and ran all the way to his work place without noticing. It certainly explains his how tired his body suddenly got after the sudden energy boost. His legs feel like they're about to turn to limp noodles, so Jeremy quickly crosses the empty street to the pizzeria.
Once at the front doors, he tries to pushes them open, but is met with failure. Jeremy sighs at his stupidity. The restaurant is closed so of course the door would be locked. Jeremy walks around to the back and finds the grey metal door he'd hope to see. He pushes against the door. Like the double doors in the front, it refuses to open. Jeremy lets out a frustrated groan. Before he turns to leave, he wonders if maybe his boss is still in the building. Perhaps Jeremy would be allowed to rest for a few minutes. He knocks loudly on the door then waits for a few minutes. The door remains closed. Sighing, Jeremy turns and starts walking away when a click comes from the door behind him. He smiles and quickly walks into the open door. He begins thanking whoever opened the door, but stops halfway through when he sees no one around.
"H-Hello?" Jeremy calls out. He closes the heavy door and slowly walks down the hallway to a party room.
"B-Boss! It's Jeremy! Y-Your employee! Um I just n-need a place to rest for o-only a little wh-while then I'll leave! I-I'll be at a p-party table !" Jeremy yells out a little louder, still look around for anyone on his way to the third party area. He notices now the scratchiness in his throat. He rubs his throat and sits down in the closest chair. He sniffs and runs a hand through his frizzed hair. The guilt of yelling at his friends finally starts creeping into his mind. Jeremy whimpers and tears up when remembering their shocked expressions.
"O-Oh my God wh-what have I done…" Jeremy mutters before burying his face into his trembling hands. Jeremy's whimpers slowly become louder as he thinks more and more about the pain he surely caused friends. A thin hand gently brushes against Jeremy shoulder. He flinches away and lets out a yelp. Jeremy slowly turns his head to meet the Marionette's wide eyes. Jeremy stares into the gaping black eyes. He screams. The Marionette takes a step back and raises its hands up in a sign of surrender. Jeremy whimpers and inches his chair away from the puppet. After an awkward minute passes, the Marionette points at Jeremy.
"You're name is Jermaine, isn't it?" The Marionette asks. Jeremy is a bit surprised by its scratchy and hollow sounding voice. Jeremy slowly shakes his head.
"I-I-It's um J-Jeremy uh, S-Sir." Jeremy nearly whispers. The Marionette nods and begins twiddling its long fingers.
"Well, Jeremy, what are you doing here? To my knowledge, our home is still closed. And why were you crying? You know as well as I do that crying here is big no-no." The Marionette asks and nearly snaps its head to a 90 degree angle. The movement unnerved Jeremy.
"I...It's nothing. I-I just did s-something really stupid. I-I know something bad i-is bound to h-happen to me now." Jeremy says and turns his head away. The Marionette tilts its head to the opposite side in the same jerking fashion and takes a seat across from Jeremy.
"I'm a good listener, and we've got all night here. If you want to talk about, I could try and help you." The Marionette says with a quieter tone. Its large smile twitches wider. Jeremy stares at its face, more disturbed as the smile grows.
"U-Uh. W-Well, I got into a f-fight with my friends. I-I yelled at them, wh-which is something I-I've never done b-before. I-I know I hurt th-them." Jeremy looks down and welcomes the second wave of guilt along with a twinge of self-hate.
"I'm a-a little scared to g-go back to them, b-but I have nowhere e-else to go. I l-live with them. I-I don't know wh-what do to." The teen covers his face with his hands. Tears soon start to build up. The Marionette rests its hand on Jeremy's shoulder.
"Friends can forgive each other for anything. It sounds like these friends care for you deeply if they're letting you stay with them. Am I right?" It asks. Jeremy nods, still hiding his face.
"Then I'm sure that they'll forgive you. Friends fight every now and then. It just happens when people are around each other constantly. I can tell you from personal experience, it does happen. It'll get better when you apologize."
"B-But, there's more to i-it than just a s-stupid little fight. They s-saw me do s-something terrible. I asked th-them to not make it w-worse and just leave it a-alone, but they d-didn't. They were just tr-trying to help, but I y-yelled them and I know I-I hurt them. A lot. I-I don't know how I-I could ever face th-them again." Jeremy whimpers and begin crying. He covers his mouth to silence the sobbing.
"Jeremy, your friends are your friends for a reason. They can't just abandon you because of a little outburst that was rightfully warranted. They might be a little mad right now, but at the end of the day, they'll make sure you're alright. They'll make sure you have a full stomach and a warm bed to sleep in. I'm sure of it." Jeremy sniffs and looks up at the Marionette.
"W-Well, only one o-of them is a good fr-friend, but even then I-I haven't talked to her i-in years. I yelled a-at her who only recently t-took me into her h-home, and I yelled at Vincent a-and Scott and V-Violet who took me i-in basically off the st-streets before that. They treated m-me like a son and a fr-friend. The only thing V-Vincent does is w-worry over Violet and me, b-but I've already dissapointed h-him once before. I d-disappoint Scott b-by just l-living with him. I h-heard him s-say so when he g-got into a fight with V-Vincent, because of m-me. I almost wish M-Mike knocked my teeth o-out or something. M-Maybe I'd learn my f-fricking lesson to n-not take them f-for granted th-then." Jeremy tries to calmly explain. His breathing slowly quickens as more tears begin to roll down his cheeks. The Marionette's smile twitches down a few centimeters as he listen to Jeremy's confession.
"You don't mean the same Micheal, Scott and… Vincent who work here, do you?" The Marionette asks in a slightly lower tone. Jeremy lifts his head up to reveal his eyes. He slowly nods. The Marionette taps a finger against the table before speaking.
"...They're...good enough people, I guess. The kids seem to be happy enough around them, so I assume they're...lovely people." The Marionette says while quickly tapping his long fingers against the table. Jeremy stares the the sharp claw-like fingers.
"Sorry. I didn't mean make you nervous. They're lovely friends, I'm sure." It says, bouncing back to its normal voice. It stops tapping and carefully grasps Jeremy's hand, affectionately rubbing the scratched top of it.
"Y-Yeah, they are, a-aren't they. Y-You've known th-them longer than I have, d-do you really think th-they'll forgive me?" Jeremy asks. The Marionette nods.
"Eggplant and Baldy get into fights all the time, but they can be civil with each other. I'm sure both will be able to forgive you pretty easily. The Human Answering Machine seems like he forgives easily enough." It says and pats Jeremy's hand. The teen smiles with hope starting to overtake the guilt and self-hate. Jeremy wipes away his tears and gives it a soft smile. He walks around to the table to the puppet and pulls it into hug. The Marionette quickly returns the affection as Jeremy nuzzles his head into its long, thin neck. The teen gently sets down the Marionette and gives it another sweet smile.
"Th-Thank you, Marionette. I'll make s-sure to repay you when I-I go back to work. Something r-really special." Jeremy says. The Marionette happily nods and thanks Jeremy. They give each other another hug before Jeremy starts heading for the back door. He suddenly remembers something and looks back to puppet.
"Oh! M-Marionette! When does this place reopen? I could use sometime away from everything again." Jeremy chuckles.
"The boss said he wants the Mangle to be able to be safely torn to shreds before he lets anymore customers in. Apparently untangling and rebuilding her is too annoying so they're going to just let the children do what they will with her. Poor dear. She's been glitching out a bit, actually. She might've opened the door for you. That's a good sign. She might want to be your friend if she's breaking the rules like that." The Marionette responds. Jeremy blushes a little when hearing that someone wants to be his friend. He continues his way to the back door and steps out onto the concrete feeling much happier and at ease. He hopes the Marionette is right about his friends not wanting to murder him.
45 grueling minutes of walking finally leads Jeremy back to his newest home after a few wrong turns and some very helpful strangers. The lights were all out except for the kitchen one. He couldn't hear anyone talking or moving around from the outside, which gave him a little more confidence to enter. He slowly and quietly opens the door and sneaks through, which he luckily perfected while living with his father. Jeremy tiptoes as silently as he could to the kitchen while staying in the shadows as best he could. He leans against the wall the opening to the kitchen and waits to hear a voice or someone walking around or at least some sort of impient tapping. After hearing nothing for a few minutes, he peeks his head into the kitchen. It's empty except for a few plates with some leftovers on it and one plate piled with food. Jeremy smiles and hopes the full plate is meant for him. If his stomach wasn't uneasy, he would've dug right into the plate. He slips off his shoes and leaves them by the wall. Jeremy walks down the hallway leading to the bedrooms and stands outside his door. He can hear light snoring through the wood. He almost laughs, but covers his mouth just in case some of his friends are light sleepers.
He carefully opens his door he same way he opened the front one and sneaks into his room. Everyone sleeps scattered around on the floor. Covers and pillows are covering every inch of floor the room had. A smile spreads across Jeremy's face. He slips into the space between Vincent and Doll, careful to not poke Mike's head with his foot. He lets out a relaxed sigh and cuddles up against Vincent while gently intertwining Doll's fingers with his own. He lets his tired eyes flutter shut for a second.
"Mmh...Jeremy?" Vincent asks in a tired voice. Jeremy's eyes shoot open and he quickly raises a finger to his lips to shush him.
"I'm s-so so sorry. I d-didn't mean to yell at y-you." Jeremy whispers. He makes sure to show regret on his face, just in case Vincent's too tired to hear it in his voice.
"Jere, don't apologize. I should be the one saying sorry first. I'll make it up to you in the morning, love." Vincent saying while yawning through most of it. He closes his eyes and pulls Jeremy into a tight hug. He hushes Jeremy's apologizes and snuggles back into his warm spot with Jeremy comfortably nuzzled into his chest. Doll and Mike apparently sense the teen through their sleep and decide to cuddle closer to him. Doll presses against Jeremy's back and Mike uses one of his legs a pillow. Jeremy snickers when he feels Mike hug his legs tightly. When he looks back up to Vincent to wish him sweet dreams, it seems he already fell back to sleep. Jeremy lets out a happy sigh and for once let out a tear of joy before going to sleep. He feels so loved and warm and wanted while being snuggled into like this. His own mind is too tired to dwell on not a single negative thought he always seem to have a surplus earlier. Jeremy stays awake to enjoy the warm and peaceful feelings for a little while longer.