"When Comfort Became a Ghost"

Prompt: . Let’s keep pushing Jeremy down that aching, lonely slope — where the world keeps moving around him, while he stays stuck. Here are more angsty paths, each focused on emotional claustrophobia, isolation, and the slow corrosion of a heart that just wanted to be kept. ⸻ 1. Laila Starts Avoiding Him After their conversation, Laila grows distant. Not cruel. Just… unsure. She doesn’t want to take sides. Jeremy notices. She stops sitting next to him. Stops checking in. When Jean is home, she’s nervous. Jeremy becomes the awkward presence in her apartment — quiet, inconvenient. He starts staying out late. Wandering. Trying to find somewhere to just exist. ⸻ 2. He Hears Jean Laughing in the Kitchen One night, Jeremy wakes up to get water. Jean is home. Talking to Cat. Laughing about something on his phone. That laugh — soft and easy and familiar — cuts Jeremy in half. He stares at Jean from the hallway, invisible. Jean doesn’t notice. Jeremy goes back to the couch and muffles his sobs in a pillow. How is it this easy for you? he wants to scream. But he doesn’t. He never does. ⸻ 3. Jeremy Tries to Start a New Nest — and Fails He buys new things: secondhand blankets, scentless sheets, things that have never touched Jean. He tries to make a new nest. His body won’t settle in it. He cries in the middle of arranging it. Wrecks it with his hands. It doesn’t feel like his. It feels like pretending. ⸻ 4. Someone Asks If He and Jean Are Still Hooking Up In passing — a teammate, or someone from the dorms. “Hey, you and Jean still a thing?” Jeremy chokes. Says “no.” The person laughs awkwardly. “Damn. Thought you two were like… bonded or something.” Jeremy walks away and throws up behind a building. ⸻ 5. He Sees Jean Being Gentle With Someone Else He sees Jean tuck a blanket over Cat’s shoulders during movie night. Or maybe ruffle Laila’s hair. Something tender. Something Jeremy never got. His throat closes. He makes an excuse. Leaves. Wanders the city until the sun comes up. No one texts to ask where he went. ⸻ 6. He Sends a Message He Regrets Late at night. Exhausted. Shaken. He texts Jean: jeremy: why did you do that to me Then deletes it. Too late. Delivered. No reply. Just “read.” ⸻ 7. Jean Starts Dating Someone New Jeremy overhears it. Cat or Laila mentioning it. “He’s seeing someone now. Like… actually seeing her. Dates and everything.” Jeremy freezes. Leaves the room. Later that night, he curls up in the bathroom with his hand between his legs, trying to figure out if his body can still feel pleasure. He comes. Then sobs like it was a betrayal. ⸻ 8. Jeremy Stops Scenting at All He starts using suppressant sprays constantly. Keeps himself neutral. Doesn’t want to be smelled. His body aches. People notice. Laila asks if he’s in pain. He says, “I don’t want to smell like anything anymore.” And she doesn’t know how to respond btw this is all after jean would use him for sex but never more even tho jeremy longed for it to be more, but resolved to just being used. he had a nest, his one safe space with the quilt from his nan and blouse from his mom (who no longer talks to him). jean invaded this safe space even when jeremy begged him not to and used him in there. jeremy broke after that. he told laila and cat but they’re a bit conflicted bc jean told them something else + they don’t know what would happen to jean if they booted him due to his trauma. before jeremy was staying in his own place (where jean would come in and use him and where he built his nest and then jean violate it) bc he was disowned (his mom not talking to him) due to his secondary gender presentation. but he needed help after breaking after getting his last safe space violated and when he sobbed for his mom in her voicemail she blocked him. so he went to cat and laila’s as a last resort, telling them his stuff. do idea 1, but BOTH cat and laila lowkey being a lil different (not distinct or mean, they still care for him, they just act with a little less comfortability) around him, which stings more bc they were his friends, his family, before they were jean’s. they still act normally around him tbh but they act a little *more* with jean than him. jerejean (jeremy x jean from the aftg series) angst fanfic