One Reason

Michael let himself exist in this darkness, in the vial. He was powerless. What could he do? Hell, he had to listen to what Squip said or he'd lose the few things the damn demon had given him. He hated it. He hated himself.

All of a sudden, though, Michael was thrust forward. He tumbled head over heels until he landed on his front on the ground, in an area much too big and too comfortable to be the vial.

“Michael?” That sounded like Marshal. His voice was wrecked but Michael almost instantly recognize the gentle hands on his arms. “Hey, it’s okay, I’ve got you. Just breathe- Shit, do you breathe? Whatever. Just focus on me, Mikey, I gotcha.”

Michael held onto Marshal as best he could, but as he went to grab him, he realized his hoodie was gone. If he wasn't feeling so weak, he'd check his head. "Marshal?" He tried to open his eyes but there were too many lights, so he quickly shut them. It was too much. Everything was too much, including the pain he felt.

“Yeah, it’s me dude. I’ve got you. Here, I’m gonna put your face against my neck, okay? Just like we used to.” Michael was gently guided into the familiar position where he could hide against his friend. Marshal would do this for him whenever he had meltdowns or panic attacks when he was younger. It had been a while but it helped so much. “There we go. I’ve got you, Michael. I’m right here, I’ve got you.”

Shifting his hold, Michael held onto Marshal and his clothes as he tried to calm himself. It was hard. It took Michael a few seconds to realize he never really had been calm since he died. Being in that vial just kept it all contained.

“It’s good to see you, Mikey. I’ve missed you so much.” Marshal murmured, pressing a kiss to Michael's temple. “There you go, just breathe. You’re getting it. I’m gonna look after you, Mikey, don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

Michael nodded, even if it consisted of nuzzling against Marshal's neck. His brain started to calm and slow down as he realized he was clinging to Marshal's shirt. "What-" He turned his head away from Marshal's neck to cough. Ow.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Marshal admitted as he rubbed Michael’s back. “Jeremy and dad vanished into this door, and that demon guy Squip is super pissed. Apparently it went against his plans or something.” He sighed. “He’s turned the house into a game show looking place, and I was only allowed off my podium when he took you out his pocket somehow. But don’t worry, I won’t let him hurt you any more. I’m gonna look after you, okay? You’re gonna be fine.”

Again, Michael nodded, resting his head against Marshal's shoulder. God, he was already so tired. "Podium?" He wanted to ask about the game show-esque theme, but his throat wouldn't let him ask that much. It ached too much to let him do that.

“The thing the contestants stand behind.” Marshal nodded before looking up. “He can barely sit up by himself. You expect him to stand at his own podium?” he demanded, holding Michael close and tight. 

“Hmm, you’re right.” Squip hummed. “It’s no fun if he vanishes before I’m through with you guys. And we have a few hours before he’ll vanish if-... Hmm.” He started muttering before he announced loudly. “Marshal and Michael will be on a team for this round only. And if they lose, the breather gets it! Give it up for team M Squared!” The sound of an audience cheering and whistling reached Michael’s ears.

Michael reached up and covered one of his ears, but it didn't help. Of course not.

"Have you had Michael this entire time?" a feminine voice asked. Was that... Yeah, it was one of the ladies Squip killed. Was it Christine?

“Yup!” Squip sounded so pleased with himself. “Who do you think gave him stage four breast cancer? Turns out it did develop overnight!”

“What?” Marshal held Michael closer, reaching up to cover Michael’s ears and dull the sounds. “I’m gonna kill you, you fucking demon.” He growled.

"Not if I kill you first, which I will," Squip said.

Michael cleared his throat and held onto Marshal's hand. He tried to speak, but he failed. Thankfully, Brooke spoke up for him first. "If you expect us to play along with this game, you need to help Michael."

“Ugh, fine. I’ll hold off the cancer for now.” Squip snapped and some of the pain lessened. It wasn’t totally gone, but Michael’s voice relaxed, his eyes didn’t hurt so much and the pain pulsing through his body was manageable again. He even felt the familiar comfort of his favorite hoodie. “Might as well have him looking his best before he’s gone for good. Leaves a good, painful impression, y’know?”

Michael properly held Marshal's hand and squeezed it, getting his friend to look at him. He gave him a weary smile. "Hi Marshal," he got out without his throat seizing up on him, thank god.

Marshal looked about ready to burst into tears. “Hi, Mikey.”

“There. Are we done now? Can we start this show?” Squip asked impatiently. “If not, I’ll just kill you now.”

"Explain what's going on first," Michael said as he, with Marshal's help, stood and started making his way over to the podium.

“Well, since Jeremy decided to royally fuck up my plans and I’m going to have to go through literal hell to get him back, you guys are gonna suffer!” Squip cheered. “I’m gonna ask questions, you’re gonna answer, and if you get them wrong, you lose a life! When your lives are gone, you die! And then your ghost takes your place.”

Before Michael could really process what was going on, a bright glowing doorway appeared in the middle of the room.

“What the-“ Even Squip was shocked.

A purple mist started to spread in the room as the doorway opened. Before anyone could say a thing, Jeremy stumbled out. Wait, Jeremy?

Jereny’s face was stained with fresh tears, and his breathing was ragged. He collapsed to his knees, sobbing hard and barely able to take a breath. “Make it stop,” he begged, not looking up at Squip. “Just make it stop. Please.”

This seemed so real, Jeremy’s emotions, but something about it seemed off. Michael could only tell because he knew Jeremy so well and for so long.

Squip, however, didn’t. He took a second before he grinned down at Jeremy. “I can make it stop, Jeremy.”

“Remy, wait!”

Jeremy stiffened, eyes going wide as he looked over. The pain and heartbreak in his expression was real. Michael could see that.  “Mikey? You’re... here?” He sounded so fragile.

Before Michael even had a chance to respond, Jeremy shook his head and turned back to Squip, crying harder. “Just make it stop. Tell me what I have to do to make the hurting stop. Please.”

Squip held out his hands. “Just take my hands and let me take over. After that, you’ll have everything you wanted, including Michael.”

Jeremy hesitated, then he reached out with shaky hands and took both of Squip’s. He closed his eyes as Squip vanished. Jeremy was thrown to his feet by some unseen force as his eyes shot open and he took a deep breath.

Brooke and Christine were screaming. Marshal was loudly cursing and calling Jeremy. And Michael, well, Michael was the only one to spot a second door that appeared a little way aways, with Mr. Heere coming out carrying the book which Squip had used to trick Jeremy.

Michael looked over everyone else again before focusing back on Jeremy. He waited to see any hint of Squip come from Jeremy. After spending over three months trapped in the guy’s pocket, he knew how he talked and acted.

Jeremy shook his head quickly, a shiver sort of travelling through his body. “Woah,  head rush.” He stumbled slightly, trying to get his balance, before he scrubbed at his face. “Well, this is so much better! Now wasn’t that easy?” That was Squip for sure. Then Jeremy jerked to the side, eyes going wide before he half collapsed to his knees. “Maybe not so easy. He’s still got some of the-“ Jeremy stood once more. “Not so easy at all.” That was Jeremy. Michael was certain of it. Jeremy was locked in a literal battle of wills against Squip and he seemed to be managing somewhat alright.

Michael watched this battle go on, using Marshal to keep himself steady, as he glanced over at Mr. Heere. The man was staring at Michael, and when they met eyes, he gave a wet smile before focusing back on Jeremy and Squip. He and Jeremy must have had a plan. What-

Was he going to exorcise Squip out of Jeremy? That was supposed to be a thing. It made sense. Right?

But would that hurt Jeremy? Squip was trying to take over Jeremy’s body, what if it hurt him too?

“You!” Jeremy cried out, only Squip in his tone. He was pointing straight at Mr. Heere, who froze like a deer in the headlights. “Yeah, I see you. Don’t you even think about it.” Jeremy- Squip?- smirked at him. “Yeah, I know all about your plan. It’s all up here, remember?” He tapped the side of his head. “Though, just to be sure-“ He waved his hand and suddenly everyone except Michael and Mr. Heere was chained up, heavy manacles clamping down on their arms and masks covering their mouths, obscuring their words.

“I don’t need to worry about you, kid, I can just make you too weak to stand. But... huh, interesting. The little twerp is still fighting back. I can’t affect you right now, Dad.” He stressed the word in an almost mocking tone. “Not that it matters. I’m absorbing Jeremy’s soul right now. You kill me, you kill him too.” Squip, because it had to be Squip, waved them off.

Mr. Heere seemed to hold his ground as he looked over at everyone else, including Marshal. His gaze focused back on Squip. “There’s a chance of it. It’s not certain. Your book says so,” the man said as he held it up. “My son told me what he wanted me to do, even if there was that small chance. I’m not letting him down ever again.”

“So you’re really willing to risk killing your own son?” Squip scoffed, but there was something... off about it. It wasn’t quite the same as Squip was normally, Michael couldn’t place what was different, just that it was. “Out of what? Some loyalty to his last wishes or something?” The tone shifted slightly again. Less angry and mocking to something more curious. It wasn’t enough that Mr. Heere seemed to notice.

“It was what he wanted. I’m not disappointing him again, even if there’s the off chance I’ll never see him again,” Mr. Heere said, tears in his eyes as he looked over Squip. He was looking for something. Maybe the sign that he could start the exorcism.

“If that’s your choice. Just remember this: you kill me, you kill him,” Squip warned, but there was no heat in his words. It was more... confusion. He wasn’t sure about something, even if he knew that Jeremy’s life was on the line. “It shouldn’t work anyway, but if you want to try, be my guest.” Michael wasn’t so sure that this was entirely Squip anymore, but it also wasn’t Jeremy.

Michael stood properly then, even if he heard muffled cries. He walked over to Squip (?), even if he wobbled a few times and had to stop to regain his balance. “Hey, you.”

Squip (until he knew for sure, this was Squip) blinked in surprise before he reached out, as if in concern. “You shouldn’t be walking, Michael! You can barely stand as is, even with the pain reductions!” That was genuine worry in his tone, Michael was sure of it. Confusion, but also worry. He recognised the look on Jeremy’s face easily.

“You’re concerned for me?” As he asked, Michael took a few more steps to Squip, even if he stumbled with the last one and almost fell.

“Of course I am! You’re hurting!” Squip cried, shooting forward and grabbing onto Michael carefully, stopping him from falling. “Oh, are you okay? I’m so sorry... this is my fault? But-“ He shook his head. “Please, Michael, just be careful. Here, let me help you.” A gentle hand was pressed against his chest and the pain and shakiness faded to basically nothing. “There, and I can renew that as much as we need. It’s not a permanent solution, but it’s something.” He smiled shyly, then seemed to catch himself and he frowned. “Wait...”

Michael carefully took the hand that rested against his chest. “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t get what’s going on here,” Squip whispered, a sort of fear in his tone. “I don’t understand. I just know... I’m alive, and it feels so good.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m-...” He looked around helplessly. “I’m me.” He nodded after a moment. Michael squeezed his hand to encourage him to keep going, which he did after ducking his head a little. “I’m Squip... and I’m also Jeremy. But I’m not either of them. I don’t know who I am...”

Michael hummed as he squeezed this person’s hand again. “You’re your own person. Squip... I think he thought he would take over when he possessed Jeremy. The possession involved absorbing Jeremy’s soul though. The two together made something new. It made you.” It made sense, and focusing on this helped him from freaking out about everything happening.

“It made me.” He nodded with a weak smile. His expression was distant as he thought aloud. “It feels nice... to be alive. And I don’t feel alone anymore. I feel... whole. Like Jeremy and Squip always wanted.” He looked up at Michael, eyes lost and confused. “But if I’m not either of them, and I’m me, who am I then?”

“Well, you’re you, but you don’t have a name. Do you want one?”

He nodded, looking up at Michael before glancing over at Mr. Heere with confusion and a sort of hope. “I... You’re... Can you help me? Both of you?” He looked around, eyes going wide. “Oh!” The chains and masks which had been holding everyone back vanished, and the gameshow setting faded back to the regular, Heere living room. Not even the Squip version, just the regular living room with the furniture which Michael had grown up climbing on. “Can you all help me, please? I... I want to know who I am.”

Everyone seemed a bit shaken up, so Michael led them. “We’d all love to. Let’s sit down on the couch first, yeah?”

“Yeah, right,” Brooke said, and Christine nodded along with her.

“Okay...” The new being carefully got Michael settled on the couch first, before he waved his hands and the couch extended and wrapped around itself, creating something just short of a full ring. “Will that be big enough to fit everyone?”

“I think that would be great. It looks plenty big enough.” Marshal assured him gently with a shaky smile. He smiled back, albeit shyly.

Mr. Heere nodded, though he kept the book close. “Yes, thank you.” With that, everybody else sat down.

The boy ducked his head, sitting close to Michael. His hands were clasped nervously in his lap and he kept fiddling with his fingers. It was a different way to how Jeremy would, but that made sense. This wasn’t Jeremy. It was someone new.

Michael offered a hand out to this person. “Do you want us to list off names for you? You can tell us if you like any of them.”

He nodded, slowly taking Michael’s hand. The boy squeezed Michael's hand after a second, clearly nervous and overwhelmed by everything.

Everyone slowly started to suggest names. They were a large variety of names, and Michael made sure to offer some too. As they offered names, Michael squeezed this boy’s hand reassuringly.

After a minute, the boy squeezed Michael’s hand again, looking up from his lap slightly. “I like that one,” he whispered. “I like the name Minnie.”

Oh. “You do?” Michael asked. He had just been tossing out any name. He didn’t think this boy would want that name, but... it seemed to fit him somehow.

“Yeah, I do.” Minnie nodded. “It feels right.” He sort of curled up again, his smile fading. “But now what? I... I exist, I’m alive, but what do I do now?”

“Well, is there anything you want to do?”

“I don’t know,” Minnie admitted. “Squip was just determined to be alive, and Jeremy was focused on just surviving each moment. Neither of them really had any plans... but-... Never mind.” He shook his head. Was he embarrassed or something?

Michael cocked his head to the side as he squeezed Minnie’s hand. “But what?”

“I wanna go outside. I wanna feel the sun on my skin.” It wasn’t sunset yet, they could do that.

“Well, we can totally do that,” Michael said before standing. Well, he tried to, but his legs gave out under him and he almost fell on the floor.

Minnie caught him, eyes wide and worried. “Be careful, Michael. Here, let me.” He pressed his hand to Michael’s chest and he felt his strength return. “There, that should help. I’m so sorry for everything.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, Minnie,” Michael assured him as he held his hand against Minnie’s, the one against his chest.

“I gave you that cancer which is hurting you now. Even if it was before me, it was still me,” Minnie whispered. “You can’t even linger without pain following you. And I don’t know how to get rid of it, either. I don’t even know if I can.”

“That wasn’t you though. That was Squip, even if he is a part of you now. It’s weird and hard to explain what I’m thinking, but the two together made you. You aren’t either of their pasts. You’re your own person,” Michael whispered back. “You’re not Squip, you’re not Jeremy Heere. You’re Minnie.”

“I shouldn’t exist,” Minnie said softly. “I shouldn’t be here at all. I- I’m just keeping him away from you. I- I-“ In an instant, he was on his feet. “I’m sorry!” He dashed out the back door, the one through the kitchen which led to the back yard.

Everyone stood then, eyes wide before they dashed after him. Well, except for Brooke. She helped Michael up and got them to the backyard by phasing through the wall. God, that was weird.

Luckily, the backyard still counted as part of the house, since Brooke and Christine seemed to have no trouble remaining out there.

Minnie was sitting in the grass, knees pulled to his chest as he stared out over the town. The sun made his pale skin seem like porcelain, even in the golden light from how close it was to sunset. Minnie closed his eyes.

“It feels so warm.” He hummed. “It’s nice. Being alive is nice.”

Brooke helped Michael over to Minnie after everyone seemed to come to some sort of consensus. Even if he didn’t know what it was (it was all in their eyes and he couldn’t read Brooke well yet), he trusted them. He wanted to help Minnie.

“Do you have the book still, Paul? No... Dad?” Minnie asked softly. “It- it was supposed to be Michael’s. Squip stole it and gave it to Jeremy. It’s... sort of poetic justice really.” He didn’t open his eyes, but he did huff out a weak laugh.

“Yes, I do,” Mr. Heere said as Michael sat down next to Minnie.

“Okay, good.” Minnie took a breath. “Michael, you know I want you to stay, right? And be healthy and happy?

“I’ve gathered that much, yes. Why do you care about me though?”

“Because Jeremy did. He cared so much about you that it was one of the main reasons I became me. It eclipsed Squip’s intentions,” Minnie replied. “And because you’re a good person. You saw that I was me the moment I became me, and you started helping me from the get go.” He sighed. “But because of all that... it’s exactly why I can’t make you stay. You’ll be in pain forever, and your soul will never heal. I can’t do that to you, even if I want to stay with you.”

It was conflicting for Michael. He didn’t want to essentially kill this new being, but he wanted to save Jeremy. He didn’t care about himself right then and there. It was about Minnie and this big choice. “You deserve something though. You were just... created. It’s not right for you to go.”

“It’s not right for me to stay. But if I don’t stay, you can’t either. I’m the only one who can give you the boosts you need.” Minnie sighed. “I... I’m sorry. But I need to be... I need to do what’s right.” He nodded sadly, taking Michael’s hand and squeezing. “Keeping you here, in pain, isn’t right. And keeping myself here, when Jeremy still exists in me, isn’t right either.”

Michael nodded, squeezing Minnie’s hand back. “Is there anything we can do for you before we have to make you go?”

“Just... don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me,” Minnie begged softly. “I don’t want to be alone.” He glanced up at Michael. “Could you please hold me while Dad reads it out? I’m scared. I don’t want to die. I just found out what it means to be alive. But I have to do this.”

“Of course,” Michael immediately answered. “No way would I leave you alone. I just hope that you’re okay with hugging a ghost. Jeremy’s body always runs super cold.”

“He’s gotten used to it.” Minnie scooted around and clung to Michael. After getting a nod, Mr. Heere started the spell. Minnie sniffled and clung tighter to Michael with a small whimper.

Michael made sure he wrapped as much of himself around Minnie as possible. “I know you weren’t here for long, but you’re such a sweet soul, Minnie. So sweet and kind and caring.”

“You’re a good person, Minnie,” Christine agreed, stroking his hair gently. “Jeremy would be proud.” Minnie just whimpered, but he did lean up into the touch slightly.

“I’m sure he is proud, wherever he is inside of you,” Marshal told Minnie as he rubbed his back.

Minnie whined softly again just as Mr. Heere finished the spell. Minnie sighed. “Y’know, I really like the sun,” he whispered weakly. “It’s so warm... It feels like being alive.” He fell limp in Michael’s arms just as Michael felt a single tear splash against his neck.

If he could cry, Michael would. Instead, he held Jeremy’s body close and thanked Minnie as Brooke let out a choked sob. “You deserved better. Thank you for what you did though. Just... thank you, and I’m sorry it had to be this way.”