I literally edited this with my eyes half closed for a couple of days. Hope it turned out decent...wow, I really am tired if I have nothing more to write than that. Goin' to bed now, night!
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Be More Chill' or any of it's adaptations or content.
Replaced
Chapter XXVIII
~Separated~
"So, are you going to keep ignoring me?" Reese questioned as they watched Michael pull bottles of Mountain Dew out of the fridge. The teen didn't answer, purposefully locking his eyes to his task as he neatly stacked the drinks on the counter. The SQUIP sighed, straightening from where they leaned against the counter and walked around to face him. They stood in front of the boy, cutting him off in his tracks as he tried to go to the cupboards, much to the shorter's annoyance. When Michael still didn't look them in the eye they gently took his hand in theirs. "Will you even say 'goodbye' to me?" The teen faltered, shaking his head with watery eyes as he looked to the ground.
"No."
"Goodbye isn't forever."
"I don't care."
"Michael."
"Obviously I'm not doing good enough to keep you safe here, so just go," Michael snapped, "I can't even go two days without something happening to you so you'd probably do better on the streets!"
"I hope you don't actually believe that," Reese whispered.
"Maybe I do." The SQUIP let out a small sigh. None of the teens were taking this news well. They all thought it was suicidal and stupid, but they had no choice but to agree. To put more salt on the wound the SQUIPs decided that they'd leave at dawn the next day.
"This is not your fault, Michael," they insisted firmly, "This was beyond our control. Ari and Jen's appearance here heavily tipped them off, there was nothing we could do. But it's only one week."
"How will I even know if you're okay? Or if they caught you, or if you're…" Michael trailed off, shaking his head. Reese's eyes softened as they gently tilted the boy's chin so he could finally meet their gaze.
"You won't, but I promise you'll be the one to get me," they answered firmly. The teen stared at them, eyes not convinced but swaying.
"When?" he asked, his voice barely sounding and hallow. The computer trailed their thumb along his jaw in a soothing gesture, thinking it over.
"If it'd ease your mind: Friday, after dark. I'll call you at midnight sharp with our location."
"Wouldn't it be Saturday if it's midnight?" Michael pointed out flatly. Reese smirked.
"Yes. But I didn't want to confuse you by saying midnight Saturday."
"You got my hopes up with Friday and it's actually Saturday."
"That's why I phrased it that way."
"To disappoint me?"
"To raise your spirits." The teen sighed.
"And if you don't call?"
"Then you can panic." The SQUIP smiled sympathetically at the anxiety that came over the male's face. They let their hand drop to take Michael's hand in theirs again. "But when you wake Saturday morning, I'll be there to greet you." The teen took in a shuttered breath, trying to keep himself together.
"I can't do this. Go a whole week pretending that everything's fine when you're being chased by the assholes who turned you into an asshole."
"Nice phrasing," Reese said flatly.
"I try." The computer chuckled.
"Well, what if that wasn't all you did?" The teen narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"What do you mean?"
"How would you feel carrying out your own mission in my absence?"
"A mission?" Michael echoed. Reese nodded. "What mission?"
"…I need you to steal SQUIPs for me." The teen gasped an unintelligible noise, eyes going wide.
"You want me to what?" The SQUIP grinned amused.
"We need to control all the variables, Michael. The less SQUIPs activated the more humans we can awaken later." Michael bit his lip, looking at the taller wearily.
"How would I do that?"
"Simple: go with Rich and Jeremy to the Payless and take all their SQUIPs."
"Your pill cost four hundred dollars! I can't afford that!" the teen exclaimed, "And there's no way they'll give Rich their whole inventory!"
"That's when you become creative." Michael groaned.
"You want us to really steal it, don't you?"
"We can return the pills to the company after we expose the branch if that makes you feel any better, but yes," Reese answered with a sweet smile. The teen let out a long breath, running a hand over his face.
"I hate this."
"I know." The SQUIP gently pulled the shorter into a hug. Michael didn't reciprocate but instead leaned fully into the other's touch, resting his head against their shoulder. He didn't want to give in, to make this 'goodbye' official, but not returning the gesture won't stop them from leaving. Reese leaned their forehead against his hair, whispering into his ear, "I wish I could ask you to come with me." Michael blushed and this time he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around the computer in a tight embrace.
"I would have said 'yes'," he choked as he buried his face against the other's shoulder, "I'm supposed to help you." Reese ran their fingers through his hair soothingly, nuzzling their face lightly against his.
"Heh, imagine the chaos we could do together," they mumbled with a sad grin. Michael let out a small sound.
"A hundred percent."
"That's right…but, I'm scared of what could happen too," Reese whispered honestly.
"And what about to you?" The SQUIP didn't answer. Michael let out a long breath. "When you get back, I want you to include me in your 'field' plan."
"No."
"I won't negotiate." Reese gave him a hard look.
"We can discuss it, is that enough?" they offered forcefully.
"Fine," the teen sighed. Reese pulled back enough to look the other in the eyes, a small, shy smile on their lips.
"Maybe…we could discuss it over dinner?" Michael blinked, cheeks darkening.
"Are you asking me out again?" he asked with a grin.
"I never asked you out to begin with."
"You know what I mean."
"I would like a second date, yes," Reese clarified with a wider smile. Their face then softened as their voice quieted, "It could be a promise to you that…that I will come back." The teen stared, eyes watering once more as the words sunk in.
"Okay," he breathed shakily, finding it hard to keep himself still. The SQUIP's smile turned sad, their reality returning to weigh down on them in the heavy silence. Without a word they leaned forward and pressed their lips against his, kissing the teen deeply. Michael let his eyes close as he returned the gesture, his fingers curling into the computer's jacket to pull them closer. He didn't want them to go, not now…not when things were finally clicking into place for them. He wished there was another way…Reese's arms wrapped around him in a tight hug and he knew they were thinking the same. It was only confirmed when the SQUIP pulled back revealing the tear streak that had slipped from their eye. Michael's heart ached. In that moment he realized he had more to grieve over than he thought. Yes, he as worried about the SQUIPs getting caught, but now…What if Reese had a break down and he was not be there to help them? How much could Michael trust the other SQUIPs to take care of them when they were unstable themselves? If Reese had a nightmare, would they be able to calm them? If they did something that only their 'old' self would do, would the SQUIPs stop them from blocking their feelings? Would Reese do that anyways? What if they block out the feeling of loneliness? Would they feel lonely? Their tears were enough to say 'yes' for him.
Michael gently wiped their tears away, resting his forehead against theirs as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "I'm here," he whispered as reassuringly as he could, letting his thumb soothingly brush against their cheek. Reese leaned into the touch.
"Don't forget about me," they whispered, their hand taking his as they squeezed it tight. Michael's heart hurt, his lungs having a harder time taking in air, but he forced a smile on for them.
"Never," he promised, "How can I? You've made an impression."
~oOo~
The sun hadn't even started rising when it was time for the SQUIPs to leave. Michael and Reese – the later in a new disguise – left the house a little earlier than planned, and started walking towards the bus stop they agreed to meet the others at. They were both silent on their journey, the teen feeling his heart hammering inside his chest with each step they took towards their destination. As his anxiety worsened he squeezed Reese's hand tighter. He didn't remember when the SQUIP took his hand in theirs, but he was grateful for the contact.
While they walked his mind raced through everything and his eyes wandered over to Reese themself. It was bad enough the amount of things he was already worried about, but to make matters worse was that the SQUIP insisted on bringing nothing more than a backpack of Mountain Dew and a change of clothes with them. He tried insisting otherwise but the computer was animate about only bringing the 'essentials'. Luckily they eventually agreed to bring some small snacks too, and some money, but that was it. The only reason - he imagined - they accepted the money at all was to be able to call him Saturday morning to be picked up…he wondered how they would going to do that otherwise.
The two were the first to arrive, waiting quietly in the dark for the others to appear. Every second felt like an eternity and every shadow felt like it was holding a thousand eyes waiting for them to screw up. Michael was finally allowed to release his breath when two figures appeared down the side walk. Fear struck him first but it quickly turned to relief upon recognized the silhouette of the shorter teen. He was surprised he wasn't alerted to their presence sooner through loud conversation…but what surprised him more was that both Kert and Rich refused to say a word even as they stepped up beside them, only giving a small nod in acknowledgment. Michael wondered if something happened between them, maybe a fight, but the look Kert gave to Reese was all the confirmation he needed. Rich probably hadn't shut up about all this until now.
A couple minutes later a familiar car pulled by and parked in the side street near where they stood. Shortly after three figures joined them at the stop. It was Christine, Ari, and Chloe. Michael was surprised to see the popular girl and wondered if the SQUIP had been staying with her instead of Brooke. When the computer was dropped off at his house yesterday it was both Brooke and Chloe who left them and later picked them back up, so it was quite possible Ari was staying with Chloe instead.
Michael was happy to see that the other two SQUIPs had small bags with them as well. He would hate for them to have to rely on what Reese was bringing alone. "So…this is it?" Christine finally spoke, breaking the silence. Ari turned to their human with a small, assuring smile.
"We'll be okay," they answered, taking Reese's free hand in theirs. Michael huffed slightly but didn't say anything. It wasn't as if the SQUIP was trying to steal his partner.
"This is so stupid," Chloe protested with tightly crossed arms.
"Yeah," Rich agreed, his voice almost a growl. Kert rolled their eyes with a sigh.
"It must be done," Reese answered firmly, leaving no room for discussion. Michael averted his eyes, pulling his phone out as a distraction.
"It'll be here soon," he mumbled. Silence fell over them again as they waited. Michael knew if there was a time to say goodbye, now would be it, but the thickness of the air was choking him. He wished someone would break it, let the tension dissipate again, to not let all the attention be on him if he spoke.
Luckily Chloe was here. "Are you sure you have everything?" the girl asked as she looked Ari up and down. The SQUIP nodded.
"Yes, thank you."
"Don't get hurt, okay?" Christine insisted as she pulled the computer into a hug, "Come back safe."
"Fight tooth and nail, girl," Chloe agreed with a nod of her head, "Kick their ass."
"Okay," Ari smiled from over their human's shoulder. While they spoke Kert turned to look at their own host. Rich was avoiding eye contact, still fuming where he stood.
"Richard, stop," they insisted through their mind link.
"You don't fucking learn," Rich hissed back, glaring at the SQUIP, "After what they fucking did to you yesterday? What the actual fuck!"
"I know," Kert sighed quietly. Gently they pulled Rich's arms apart so they weren't crossed despite the younger's resistance. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I have to…and you're not there when I wake."
"Then don't go," Rich insisted desperately, "If they see Reese and Ari they won't check here!"
"They'll know I'm somewhere. If they don't think I'm with Reese they'll believe I'm with you. I have to go," the computer lamented. Rich shook his head, but he was startling to tremble now.
"You're so stupid."
"I know." The teen bit his lip.
"I hate you you stupid Muppet." Kert smiled lightly.
"I know." Rich looked away, eyes filling up with tears.
"I'm sorry…for yelling at you before."
"I'm sorry I broke my promise." Rich nodded lightly. The SQUIP took the teen's chin and tilted his head up to look at them. With a sad smile they kissed the boy. It took nothing for Rich to reciprocate, wrapping his arms around the computer's neck and pulling them as close as he could. Kert made a sound as they hugged the boy closer, deepening the kiss.
Michael looked over at the two, having to hold in his sigh at the typical action. They weren't even trying to look socially acceptable as they made out in front of the group, much to his discomfort. Gaining everyone else's attention with the noises they made, Chloe looked at them bewildered. "Are you seriously fucking your SQUIP right now?!" she exclaimed. The two didn't even acknowledge that she spoke outside of Rich flipping her off from over his computer's shoulder. Ari just clapped lightly in support of the two's affection, earning a giggle from Christine. Michael shook his head, a small smile on his lips before seeing the oncoming bus appear in his vision. His heart began slamming into his rib cage. Time was almost up. He quickly looked at Reese, and the SQUIP met his gaze. Their eyes were…scared. He opened his mouth to speak, to try to say anything that could bring comfort, but before any word could be uttered he was silence by their lips on his. He was surprised, not expecting them to openly kiss him in public, but he quickly relaxed into the touch. Reese was all that mattered right now. He could feel the SQUIP's hands running up and down his arms slowly in a soothing fashion, but it wasn't enough. Nothing could be enough to ease his mind now, but he appreciate the attempt. The moment was interrupted by another round of applause, this time faster as it came from behind. It wasn't hard to guess who it came from. It was immediately followed by a chorus of gasps and he froze. Right, their first time kissing in public…whoops.
"What the fu-" Rich started, glaring dangerously passed Kert to them. Michael peeked around Reese to the shorter, face beet red and eyes wide at being caught. He gave a few unintelligible sounds in response before looking to the SQUIP for aid. Reese grinned deviously and Michael immediately regretted turning to them. Before he could react the SQUIP gave him a big kiss on the cheek while simultaneously flipping Rich off. The shorter teen immediately started shouting profanities, charging at the SQUIP and only being held back by Kert as Reese quickly hopped onto the now arrived bus, Ari close behind. "Don't run you fucker!" Rich cursed as he tried to wiggle out of his computer's hold.
"Be good," Kert warned as they spun their human to the side before dashing onto the bus themselves. They managed to convince the driver to close the doors behind them before Rich could get on much to the shorter's annoyance.
"I'm going to fucking kick your ass when you get back, Neo!" the teen shouted through the glass. Reese just stuck their tongue out in response, clearly enjoying their victory. Rich huffed angrily and flipped them off as the bus pulled away from the stop. As it did the rest of the teens took the opportunity to wave 'goodbye', the gesture only reciprocated by Ari.
Then they were gone.
Silence surrounded them once more as they watched the bus disappear down the road. They then awkwardly looked to one another. "So, not currently dating, huh?" Chloe brought up with a devious grin. Michael flushed red, desperately wanting to hide his face in his hood at that moment.
"I'll kill that fucker," Rich growled, punching his hand menacingly as he glared after the bus. Chloe scoffed with a roll of her eyes.
"Hypocrite."
"Kert's different!"
"No he's not."
"Yes they are!"
"No he's-"
"How long has it been, Michael?" Christine asked curiously, cutting the other two off. Michael awkwardly stuffed his hands in his pockets as he glanced away.
"Uh…Friday." Chloe whistled.
"I bet that hottie's good in bed," she commented lewdly. Michael sputtered loudly, face darkening.
"Chloe!" Christine interjected, her voice almost embarrassed.
"And he's a SQUIP too. Probably knows a lot of crazy shit," Chloe continued with a suggestive wink.
"Stop it!"
"I'll kill that fucker," Rich repeated, this time a growl.
"We didn't-" Michael tried but his voice got lost in his throat. Chloe waved him off dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah, sure you didn't," she said with another wink, much to the boy's annoyance. He sighed and Christine patted his arm in comfort.
"Hey, I'm happy for you," she encouraged with a smile.
"Christine!" Rich exclaimed in disbelief.
"What? They're cute together!" the girl cooed much to Michael's embarrassment, "And as long as they're happy and don't hurt each other, it's okay!"
"Jeremy's gonna kill you," Rich huffed, looking at the boy seriously. Michael stiffened before shifting awkwardly under the teen's gaze, guilt filling his stomach.
"Don't tell him…okay?"
"Michael," Christine named with furrowed brows.
"Not yet," he clarified, "He just agreed to helping us and I don't want to freak him out more."
"He'll be mad that he's the last to know," Chloe pointed out.
"He's not the last…"
"Not the point."
"I'll tell him, promise…but after Reese gets back."
"Good, Jeremy could tag team with me on our beat up," Rich agreed with a grin.
"Please don't," Michael groaned.
"I'll join," Chloe added.
"Chloe!" Christine chastised.
"What? That idiot's gotta know he can't just fuck around with our boy."
"Yeah!" Rich cheered. Michael sighed again. He was gonna kick Reese's ass himself for outing them like that.
~oOo~
So the week started.
Monday was hard…harder than he ever thought it would be. He couldn't stop thinking about Reese all day. Where were they now? What were they doing? Are they okay? It had only been a few hours since he left them, so they were probably fine. But their absence ate at him. He had no one to call at lunch, or any other time in his day. His fingers kept curling around his phone, even once bringing it out to call before stopping. There would be no one to answer it…
Monday night was even worse. It was silent…too quiet for any comfort. Reese didn't always talk when they were there but they were always watching. Their presence could always be felt even in different rooms, it's been that way since the beginning. He used to hate sleeping knowing they were across the hall from him. Now…Now it felt empty. Insecure, almost. It didn't feel safe or comfortable without them there. There was nothing. He wondered where they were sleeping, if they were comfortable or thinking of him. It only hurt more thinking of the distance, but his mind refused to leave it all night.
He didn't sleep.
Tuesday came and there was no one to greet him that morning. Reese was always the first one up…So, Michael ate alone. School was hard to get through. He was beyond tired and he couldn't focus on anything around him. He had to try acting natural and pass off any of his distress as lack of sleep - which was partially true - but it was obvious it was more than that. The group had more awkward silences in conversations too, all wanting to talk about the SQUIPs but unable to. They managed to have some small conversations about it, but that was it. It was clear that talking about the computers was rubbing salt into open wounds, and endangering the operation, so they stopped.
Rich wasn't taking the absence well either. He seemed fine on Monday, but Tuesday…it was obvious he didn't sleep too. Later that night Michael got a call from the teen. There was no reason behind it, Rich just wanted someone to talk to, and Michael felt the same. They ended up talking for three hours.
Night came again and sleep refused to come. Michael decided to try playing video games until he was tired. He managed to drift off for a half-hour…dreaming Reese was there beside him playing too. It felt real, like Reese leaving was the dream and this was the reality. But he accidentally woke himself and…Reese wasn't there. He could still feel a weight on his shoulder where the SQUIP would have laid their head, but there was nothing now but air. He stared at the spot for a long time. Michael didn't even realize he wasn't breathing until his head bobbed as he bordered unconsciousness. Shaking his head until he was awake he turned back to his game, his eyes burning at the tears that threatened to fall.
He played until the sun rose in the sky.
Wednesday was an absolute mess. Michael fell asleep in class which got him sent to the office. He had tried calling Reese twice, actually successfully getting to his voice mail before realizing no one was there - and this was all before lunch! He was a train-wreck. It was at that point he decided he needed to spend his lunch at the 7/11 alone and try to regroup himself. On the bright side, he - at the very least - managed to sleep for ten minutes in his car without interruption, which was the smallest of reliefs. The teen knew at this rate he wouldn't make it through the week, he was already running on fumes. Thinking back he couldn't even remember if he had a full meal since Reese left. Not because he didn't try, but his appetite was practically nonexistent. He knew that tonight needed to be better. He needed to eat, sleep, and plan. One thing he refused to do is let Reese down, or let the SQUIP see him on Saturday looking like an absolute mess. They were probably fairing well without him and looked fantastic, they'll question what the hell happened to him. He needed to pull it together.
Luckily for him Wednesday night wasn't so awful.
When Michael entered his home that night he was greeted by familiar faces. "Michael!" his mom screamed as he opened the door. He barely had any time to register the blonde in front of him as she pulled him into a tight hug.
"Mom!" he named surprised, his arms instinctively returning the embrace.
"We're back," his other mother proclaimed as she walked to the front entrance from the kitchen, a huge smile on her face. Michael smiled back, eyes watering as he squeezed his mom a little tighter.
"Why didn't you say?"
"I just got the 'okay' from work today!" his mom answered as she pulled back to look him in the eyes, keeping her hands on his shoulders, "I'm sorry we took so long, baby!"
"It's okay," he mumbled.
"No, it's not! But it's okay, cause we're not leaving again until you move out, right honey?" she said the last part to her wife, almost daring her to contradict. His mother nodded in agreement, pulling the boy into a side hug.
"Yep. Gotta stay and take care of our baby and meet his boy."
"Yes!" his mom cheered, clapping her hands together, "Oh, I'm so happy sweetie! When do we get to meet him?"
"Not yet," Michael quickly dismissed with a wave of his hands, "I-It's too soon…We've only gone on one date."
"Well, we could always say 'hi' when he comes to pick you up for dates," his mother suggested with a wink.
"Huh? He picks you up? You have a car, honey," his mom pointed out with furrowed brows.
"I know, and no they don't pick me up. We meet up," Michael corrected, resisting the urge to yawn.
"Aww, that's a shame. I was hoping to scare him by opening the door with a shot gun. That'd test his character," his mother pouted playfully before grinning, earning an eye roll from her wife. Michael chuckled awkwardly.
"Doubt that'd scare them," he mumbled offhandedly.
"Well, we're really happy for you! I want to hear all about it!" his mom exclaimed before letting her face drop, "But first, why does my baby look like garbage?"
"Mom!" Michael whined, rubbing at his eye and nearly knocking off his glasses.
"What's wrong, Michael," his mother insisted, brushing his hair back.
"Nothing," he lied, "I just can't sleep…"
"Why not? How long? Can't or won't?" his mom listed worriedly.
"Can't, and uh…I just can't. It's been a couple days."
"That's not good," his mother frowned, "We need to fix that."
"But first: dinner! You look dead," his mom commented again as she walked towards the kitchen. Michael let out a small chuckle as he followed after.
~oOo~
A proper meal and the right company was more than what he needed. Michael finally felt like he could relax - or as much as he was going to - and even ate a full meal. When talking to his mothers he had to paraphrase a lot of what he'd done in their absence, but they were happy to hear his stories. He especially had to edit his story about Reese. He was trying not to lie to them so he wouldn't have to remember it later, but it was difficult. Luckily they bought his story.
Tonight was a good night.
After dinner his mother went to unpack their bags while he and his mom did the dishes. He didn't really mind, a distraction's a distraction. They did the chore in silence, and once they were done his mom turned to him. "Hey, I need to talk to you about something," she said sort of seriously, though a small smile remained on her face. Michael frowned but nodded. She motioned to the table and he sat down with her. The woman let out a small sigh as she twirled her blond hair between her fingers, thinking over her words. She then spoke, "I need to ask you about something, and whatever answer you give me I'll believe because you are my son and I love you." Michael's eyes widened slightly as his heart beat picked up.
"Okay," he said slowly. His mom took in a deep breath before locking eyes with him.
"Do you know what a SQUIP is?"
Silence.
Michael couldn't breathe. All he could do was stare as he tried to process everything screaming in his head, but he couldn't. How could she…
Before he could even think of an answer his mouth spoke for him, "A script?" His mom let out a breath of relief as she smiled at him.
"No," she chuckled, "A SQUIP, though I think you answered my question." Michael tried to swallow the lump in his throat as guilt settled in. He lied to his mom. He had no way of knowing if she was asking because she had something to do with this or if she heard about SQUIPs and was genuinely curious. Either way he didn't want to lie, but…this was not a game to take chances with.
"Why?" he pressed, forcing his quiet voice out. His mom waved a hand at him dismissively.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. If you ever hear about one or if someone asks you if you want one the answer is 'no', okay?" He nodded numbly. His mom then leaned over and kissed his forehead, "I love you."
"Love you too," he whispered weakly. His mom smiled brightly, ruffling his hair, before leaving to help her wife unpack. Michael was left alone to his thoughts. It could be nothing. His mom could be asking out of curiosity, but…the timing was suspicious. He needed to know for sure if it was coincidence or not, that'd be the first thing Reese would tell him to do. But how to ask without causing suspicion…
The teen stood and headed to the basement. Unfortunately he had more than his mom to plan for…tomorrow was a big day. It was when they were going to steal the SQUIPs.
A/N: Next time on Replaced: Michael goes on a mission!
