(Partial Merome...? I needed a filler, honestly...)

Chapter 14 – Present:

When I got home, Lachlan was watching TV, and looked to me. His stare was firm, symbolizing something was wrong. I swallowed the lump in my throat, watching as he muted the TV without breaking eye contact.

"He told me everything." Lachlan calmly stated, though the look he was giving me showed he felt anything but calm. "What kind of person drags their depressed best friend on a date and makes them a third wheel?!" He screamed, standing up. I gave him a confused look.

"Date...?" I asked.

"Yes Jerome, Mitch told me you went to the park because of Alanna- was she meeting you there- was she there when you got there?" He questioned.

"No, wait a minute, Alanna suggested that fresh air was good for Mitch and that we should go take a walk or something, that's it, it wasn't a date." I explained.

"Well then Mitch obviously didn't hear it that way, it really hurt him Jerome." Lachlan calmly stated. "He thought it was a date and, in case you haven't noticed, he doesn't like Alanna very much nowadays. I mean, seriously, anytime she's over he's locked in his room!"

"She's my fiancée, does he expect her not to come over?!" I demanded, my heart feeling heavy. Mitch was so happy when he found out the news, why doesn't he like Alanna?

"Look, I don't know what his problem is, that's just what he told me, alright? He doesn't like Alanna very much and he hates how you spend all your time with her and ignore him like he means nothing. That's how he feels. Period. It's your problem, so you need to deal with it. I'm making lunch." Lachlan declared, walking off and entering the kitchen. I don't ignore him like he's trash... I slowly made my way down the hallway, stopping in front of his bedroom door and silently pressing my ear to the wood. I could hear him sniffling, but not much more than that. I gave a quiet knock, receiving no reply. I decided to go in anyway.

Carefully opening the door, I saw Mitch's back was too me. He was underneath his comforter and curled up in a ball. I quietly shut the door, walking over to his bedside and sitting down next to him. I didn't say anything or make a move to touch him. I simply sat there, my heart hurting and my breathing painful. I placed my legs up on the bed, turning to lie on my side as I wrapped my arms around where his waist should have been, pulling him into me and hugging him gently. He turned over and curled into me, snuggling closer as he once again sniffled, hidden from my view by the comforter.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered.

~Mitch~

Jerome and I laid there for a while, my arms sandwiched between us, our legs intertwined and our bodies melted together. My breathing was light and airy, my heart pounding. I inhaled a shaky breath, inconspicuously pressing myself closer to him. Yeah, that didn't work. Jerome propped himself up, giving me a confused look, the comforter partially falling away. I lifted myself up just a bit, pressing my body back to his, our chests pressed together as our lips hovered barely an inch apart.

"Mitch...?" Jerome breathed, not seeming scared. I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his as we just stayed there, our lips not moving, just pressed together. Still, it sent jolts through my spine. Jerome shifted, not pulling away, but rather bringing his hands to my waist, both of us sitting up fully, Jerome pulling me closer. We parted our lips, our foreheads pressed together as we stared into each other's eyes. Our lips crashed like two speeding cars, my hands cupping Jerome's cheeks as Jerome roughly gripped my hips, the heat between us beginning to grow. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling his hands begin to roam my sides, eventually taking the rim of my shirt and breaking the kiss, tugging my shirt off as I blushed. He stared at my chest, at the scars. Slowly removing myself from him, I looked away, embarrassed.

"Stop staring at me like that." I requested quietly.

"You're beautiful, Mitch." Jerome huskily whispered in my right ear, a shudder racking my body. His mouth connected to my neck as he leaned over my back, biting and sucking on my pale flesh as a moan escaped my lips. Jerome's hands lingered on my bare sides, gently caressing them. I shivered under his light touch, Jerome's teeth sharply grazing my skin as he made his way down to my collarbone.

"Jerome..." I breathed, pleasure racking my body. Jerome flipped me over, my head nearly hanging off the foot of the bed as he brought himself closer. I gasped as he found my sweet spot, moaning louder as I moved my hands to the rim of his shirt. I slipped my hands underneath the fabric that concealed his gorgeous body, wrapping my arms around his back as Jerome disconnected his mouth from me, quickly removing his own shirt. Jerome laid me back; examining my chest was a sad glint in his eyes, faintly frowning. I bit my bottom lip, looking away. And suddenly, sparks flew over my chest, another gasp escaping my lips as I looked back to Jerome. One by one, he kissed each scar, each cut, and each bruise. Each kiss sending sparks throughout my chest. I closed my eyes and relaxed, Jerome's hands firmly planted on either side of me, our legs once more tangled together.

"I love you..." Jerome hummed. He sat me up and pulled me closer, brushing the loose strands of hair from my face and staring lovingly down at me. "No matter how much you harm yourself, no matter what steps between us, I'll love you... I always will, and I always have..." He mumbled, his lips hovering ever so close, grazing my own lips. "And I'll never stop."

I fluttered my eyes open, my eye lids heavy. It was bright outside my window, blurring my vision as my head pounded. My body was warm, but not in the way in should have been. It was quiet besides the turning of pages, my back to the sound and my body fully clothed. Was that... a dream? My heart began to throb, my mind repeating the words of comfort that Jerome had softly spoken to me. I love you too... My door opened, causing me to lightly flinch, but no one noticed.

"Oi, lunch is ready." There was no reply. "Jerome?" Lachlan continued.

"Mitch overdose on Tylenol..." Jerome's soft voice muttered.

"What-?"

"He didn't mean too..." Jerome quickly added. "He was just in pain..."

"Oh... Should we wake Mitch up for lunch?"

"Don't, he fell asleep, I'm sure he needs the rest." Jerome determined as he stood, walking up to me. He placed what I take to be my journal down on the bedside table, then whispered goodbye as he left, shutting the door and consuming me in silence. It was a dream...

~Jerome~

Lunch was quiet, and we didn't talk much, just ate. By the time we finished, Alanna was back from work. She hurried over as I smiled, hugging me as she planted a sweet kiss firmly on my lips. Lachlan glanced at us, but didn't bother watching, placing the plates in the dishwasher. I heard footsteps make their way down the stairs, releasing Alanna as she went to make herself a plate from what was leftover of lunch, Mitch soon appearing and doing the same. Smiling. He was smiling.

"Oh, hey Alanna." Mitch started. Alanna smile.

"Hey Mitch, you feeling better?"

"Much better, how was... wherever you were?" Alanna laughed, both of them sitting down as I gave Lachlan a confused look, something not feeling right. Mitch, making a full plate and eating it voluntarily...?

"I was at work; it was fine, nothing much happened though."

"Yeah, work sucks when it isn't YouTube." Once more, Alanna laughed. Why is he so happy...? I smiled, sitting down with them as Lachlan did the same, all of us having a decent conversation. And for once, everything felt... Normal again. It would never be normal normal, but still, it was... Normal, in a sense. Just plain old Mitch back. As Mitch and Alanna finished their meals, Mitch dismissed us all, wrapping an arm around Lachlan and I and dragging us back towards our rooms.

"Boys, we're doing some recording today." Mitch declared.

"Oi, let's call up everyone." Lachlan suggested, both of us rushing upstairs.

"Well hurry up!" Mitch called back, teasing. I got to my studio, going inside, shutting the door, and quickly getting onto Skype as I sat down. I texted the boys, as Lachlan was probably doing as well, Preston and Rob both already online, but Ryan and Vikk, not. Ryan and Vikk soon got on, and Mitch was nearly instantly calling us all. Everyone's faces appeared, the others looking partially confused, but smiling happily nonetheless. Mitch was just all smiles.

"Hey, I'm making you record with me!" Mitch announced with a happy tone, clapping his hands together.

"Ok...?" Preston laughed. "What're we doing?"

"Anything!" Mitch decided. "You guys pick, we can record as long as we want because I really need to catch up on my recordings!" We all glanced to each other, all of us nodding and beginning to pick out some games from the Nexus to play.