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G A M E O F
S U R V I V A L

· 。ﾟ

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

and the walls kept tumbling down
in the city that we love
grey clouds roll over the hills
bringing darkness from above
but if you close your eyes
does it almost feel like
nothing changed at all?

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

chapter twenty-three
jeremy's surprise

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.·:*¨༺     ★      ༻¨*:·.

     "YOU ALRIGHT?" Jeremy asked standing up once he saw Rosie enter the tent he was in. "It sounded bad whatever you two were talking about."

     "You heard?" Rosie asked with both hands on the sides of her hips.

      Jeremy scratched the back of his head as he nodded, "I think everyone heard." The girl sighed sitting down on the chair she was sitting on before. "Wanna know something?"

      "Uh, sure?"

       "This whole time I thought you were with one of the girls." Jeremy admitted sitting back down to face her. "I think her name's Mara. I was confused who you were with her or the British guy. Mara was shooting imaginary daggers at me."

      Rosie opened her mouth in surprise and decided to tell him the truth. "I'm complicated at the moment, Jeremy. Newt is or was my boyfriend. I don't know what he is anymore." Rosie responded.

      "And Mara?"

      "We've kissed." Rosie answered. Jeremy nodded forming a small smile on his lips. "What?" Rosie asked trying to hide the smile that was showing up on her lips.

      "Nothing." Jeremy replied shaking his head with a grin on his lips, "who knew my girl played for both sides."

      My girl.

      My girl.

My girl.

      Oh how sweet those words rolled off Jeremy's tongue and especially when they were directed towards her. A little burst of happiness appeared in her stomach as she watched him try to hide his grin.

      "I've missed you." Rosie blurted out.

       "I've missed you, too."

       Rosie could kiss him right now. He looked so perfect. So divine. So Jeremy. Everything about him was perfect in her eyes. He had no flaws no red flags. Nothing.

       And just like that a sweet memory of them unlocked.

      Grabbing a hold of her hand, Jeremy shut his eyes closed trying to place the pain somewhere else. It had been months since his leg injury happened but at times like these he could feel the same pain he had to endure the time he was shot in the leg. This time it was more bearable because this time he let someone help him. He let Rosie in. 

      And there they were in the bathroom. Jeremy inside the tub holding back his tears not wanting to feel so vulnerable in front of the girl he was starting to love and Rosie sitting at the edge of the tub helping him wash himself. The boy leaned back on Rosie's shoulder letting out a little sigh as she kissed his head.

      "I don't want you to think I'm weak or useless." Jeremy mumbled quietly as he broke the silence that had lasted for quite a while. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was a comfortable one.

      "You know I don't think of you like that." Rosie replied clearly caressing his temple as she comfortably placed her chin on his head. "I think you might be the most strongest person I know and not just physically. In all forms, Jeremy."

      He didn't say anything. But Rosie knew he heard her especially when he turned his head to feel closer to her. And they stayed in that position for a long time. Jeremy didn't like asking for help. He hated the idea of it but when it came to Rosie he did whatever she asked of him. One time she asked him to let her in and the next day here they were.

      "It's okay to ask for help." Rosie whispered. "People can and are willing to help you. Especially you."

       "I don't want help. I don't want anyone." Jeremy stated shifting around before bringing her hand up to his lips, "I only need you." He kissed her hand, again and again. "Only you. You're what I want."

A little chuckle left Rosie's lips, "keep saying those words to me and I'm going to end up falling in love with you."

"What if I want you to fall for me?" Jeremy asked with a grin on his face. "I don't think that's a bad thing."

Rosie shook her head pushing his head away from her as she tried to adjust to the intense feelings she was feeling, "stop smiling like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I'm dinner." Rosie muttered.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind eating you out—"

"Okay!" Rosie cut him off as she stood up from the edge of the tub, "looks like you're fine now, lover boy."

Loud laughter left his lips as Rosie grabbed the towel from the rack and handing it to him. "You're not gonna help me up?" Jeremy smirked at her.

Shaking her head, Rosie responded, "I think you can get up yourself. I'll just wait for you in the living room."

"Why?" Jeremy asked, "can't contain yourself around me when I'm naked?"

"Jeremy!" Rosie exclaimed walking outside the bathroom and shutting it closed to try and breath normally as she heard him laughing.

She could hear the shower on and imagining rinsing himself. "Stop, Rosie." The girl muttered to herself shaking her head as she walked to the couch to try and get that image out of her head.

The boy walked out of the bathroom with a towel loosely wrapped around his torso. It hanged low to the point where Rosie could see a bit of the v line. "Close your mouth, you'll catch a fly drooling like that over me." Jeremy stated walking over to the girl on the sofa.

"I'm not drooling." Rosie mumbled standing up to stand in front of him but quickly sat back down.

"Oh, you're not?" Jeremy leaned in towering over her getting close to her face as droplets of water landed on her.

"Kiss me." Rosie whispered trying to bring him closer to her.

Jeremy smiled, "you're always bossing me around."

"Kiss me." The girl repeated

"Are you sure?" He murmured, his mouth curved into a teasing smile. The boy lingered his lips around her lips dragging them up to her cheek and up to her ear. "Because once I do, I don't know if I can stop—"

Rosie shook her head desperate as she hooked her arm under his shoulder pulling him towards her and yanking the boy down with her pressing his lips against hers. Jeremy kissed back rather quickly grabbing a hold of the girl while also letting her feel in control.

      The couple had moved to his bedroom ignoring the places they had to be at this time. All they cared about was each other. His towel was laying in the middle of the hallway while Rosie's clothes were leaving a path towards his room. The boy had wasted no time taking her clothes off and only leaving her in her underwear.

Jeremy made sure to touch and lick every single part of her body. The boy could cum by himself just by watching Rosie squirm under him.

"You're so beautiful." Jeremy spoke in her ear as Rosie let out a soft moan feeling his fingers feel her breasts and his lips leaving wet kisses on her neck. "C'mon, sweetheart, tell me what you need. Let me help you feel good."

      Rosie crumbled under his touch as she tried to form words, "need your hands."

       "Need my hands?" He asked softly as she nodded. "Where do you want 'em? Here?" His left palm moved down her body cupping against her clothed heat. Rosie gripped onto his arm as she nodded eagerly feeling his fingers slowly move.

      "Yes! Jeremy! Please!" Rosie was practically begging for his touch but she didn't care.

      Jeremy watched her in awe the way she moved under him for his touch. "Sweet, sweet girl, fuck," Jeremy cursed as his hand slid underneath her underwear and barely grazing her and getting a gasp out of her, "I'll take care of you. I'll do whatever you ask me to do. I can do this all fucking night if that's what you want me to do."

Rosie nodded arching her back at the sensation of his fingers diving inside of her. "More, give me more." The girl whined at the grinning boy.

"You sound so sweet." Jeremy responded moving down her body taking his fingers out of her and sliding her underwear down. The boy's mouth moved down towards her cunt and Rosie moaned loudly when she felt his tongue inside.

"Ah!" The girl almost screamed loudly wrapping her thighs around him as he groaned at her reaction. The boy lapped at her like a starved man as she gripped on to his dark hair.

He continued to fuck her with his tongue. Tears spilled out of her eyes as the sensation he was giving her was unmatched to the head she's ever received before. Rosie was a moaning mess and cumming in a matter of a few minutes. Jeremy finally pulled away with cum dropping from his chin and him licking every last drop of her.

"Your turn." Rosie murmured pulling the boy towards her.

Jeremy kissed her one last time after a long evening of being with one another. The couple had places to be but preferred to be here with each other instead. She was so beautiful in his eyes. So perfect and sometimes he wondered how could she ever fall for him.

They looked at each other in comfort. They took everything in. Both of them were scared because neither of them knew if they felt the same way about each other. What they had was consuming them very quickly and they feared the possibility of heartbreak.

Jeremy had been the first guy she truly ever opened up to. He wasn't her first in anything but he was the first to hear her and listen to her. He knew how her body worked from head to toe. In and out.

The boy watched in admiration blurting out the phrase he never thought he'd say to anyone, "I love you."

He could see Rosie's eyes widen in slight shock and her lips part as she took in what he had said to her. Jeremy looked in her eyes for any words as he started to worry. The boy started to shake his head wanting to take it back when she wasn't saying anything.

Jeremy tried to pull away from her starting to overthink what he had just done. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I—"

"I love you too." Rosie whispered

Night arrived and the couple held each other in the middle of the bed. Both of them had given their hearts to each other for the first time. They'd never given their hearts to anyone before until now.

"I'm afraid." Rosie whispered

"Of what?" He asked

"Tomorrow." She replied quietly.

Jeremy was too. He didn't show it and he wasn't going to as he knew she needed to be comforted more. "It'll be okay. I'll keep you safe."

"We're not in the same group, Jeremy." Rosie responded, "you're going to be on a different floor and there's a chance that I won't make it out—"

"Hey, look at me," Jeremy used his finger to gently move her head to face her. "Everything's going to be okay. We'll do what we have to do and then we'll meet downstairs like we've talked about. Okay? Nothing bad will happen to you."

"You don't know that!" Rosie replied feeling more scared and anxious over the events of tomorrow. "No one knows what will happen."

The boy shook his head tightening his hold on her body as he spoke getting more scared as well, "stop thinking like that Rosie. Please, I just got you. I don't ever want to imagine a life without you, okay? It'll all work out."

"What if we somehow get separated in the end and what if—"

"Then I'll come find you." Jeremy answered, "I'll search the entire fucking world to find you. I won't give up."

"You okay?" Jeremy asked

Rosie blinked feeling her eyes watery as she came back to reality. She was alone in a tent with him. The memory she had unlocked was the night before she got her memory wiped. And Jeremy was telling her the truth.

He searched the world to find her.

    "Rosie?" The boy waved his hand getting her out of zoning out. "You alright? What were you thinking?"

     "That night." Rosie whispered facing down at the ground. "The night before the mission. The one before I got my memory wiped."

     Jeremy took a deep breath as he hadn't talked to anyone about it. That memory, that one sweet memory he had of only her and him alone, that memory he kept for himself.

     "The first time I told you I loved you." Jeremy responded letting Rosie know what memory they were talking about.

     Rosie nodded fiddling with her fingers, "the only time you told me you loved me."

     The boy nibbled on his bottom lip thinking about the fact that their journey had been rapidly cut short. Thinking about the months apart and their individual growth apart from each other. Jeremy despised the months apart especially during the nights when he worried she wasn't alive anymore.

     "I didn't get another opportunity." Jeremy replied. "If I had known that would have been the last time I'd have you in my arms, I would have held you tighter. I would have repeated those three letter words all night. I would have never let you go."

Rosie wanted to cry. More hatred formed in her chest towards WICKED. They had robbed her from her real life. They took her away from him. "I know." The girl whispered, "it isn't fair."

     The sound of trucks arriving grabbed the attention of Jeremy who stood up smiling. "Come on. Get up. Your surprise is here." Jeremy stated offering his hand. "We'll talk about that another time. This can't wait."

     Rosie furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity wondering what surprise he had in store for her. Rosie let Jeremy pull her up on her two feet. "Right, you've got a surprise for me." Rosie replied getting a nervous inkling about the surprise.

     The girl followed the boy outside of the tent taking a notice of how the sun had moved slightly meaning the moon was soon about to show herself. Rosie looked around her surroundings observing the people minding their business. The gladers were off somewhere probably trying to comfort Newt. While the girls were huddled together in a long conversation with Maya and Sonya.

     "Catch up, Adams, you don't wanna miss this." Jeremy hurried her as he took long strides towards parking vehicles. "You're gonna love me for it too."

     Rosie let out a short snort catching up to him as she replied, "yeah, okay."

     The girl walked side by side to him as he lead her up a mountain where a set of trucks were parked. "Graham!" Jeremy called out for a man who had jumped off a truck bed to greet him.

     "JS! Watcha doin' up here?" Graham, a man in his late twenties, asked Jeremy.

     "Looking for my little menace." Jeremy replied, "she around here?"

     Graham used a rag to clean his hands as he responded to Jeremy, "yeah, she's unloading the truck." He pointed to a truck two away from where they stood. "Who's this?"

     "Oh! This is Rosie," Jeremy introduced her to the man, "Rosie this is Graham one of the soldiers of the army."

     "Nice to meet you." Rosie greeted shaking the man's hand.

     "All my pleasure, doll." Graham replied before turning to Jeremy, "this one a sweet one, aye?"

     Rosie tilted her head to the side glancing to Jeremy who covered his eyes in embarrassment, "excuse me?"

     Graham shook his head, "didn't mean it that way, doll. Jeremy's just known to rescue sweet ones like ya."

     "Oh, is he?" Rosie asked somewhat feeling hurt by the man's comment. The idea of Jeremy being with other girls made her stomach twist and turn.

     "No, I'm not." Jeremy huffed in annoyance as this was not what he had planned. "Some girls that we rescue end up catching feelings for me. The guys just tease me about it. Promise that's all."

     The man started to shake his head as he looked at Jeremy before finally grasping the girl's name. "Wait! You're the Rosie!" Graham exclaimed, "JS has been non stop looking for you!"

     "Yeah, I know. I've heard it multiple times." Rosie replied crossing her arms ignoring Jeremy's clarification, "what's this about him rescuing sweet ones?"

      "Wait, are you trying to ask me if he was with them, with them?" Graham asked

     Rosie nodded, "kind of."

     "Don't worry about it, kid." Graham patted the girl's shoulder, "he can for sure get some pussy but from what I know he's been abstinence since I've known him."

     The girl squirmed from his derogatory term towards girls. Rosie glanced over to Jeremy who shook his head grabbing her arm and pulling them away from Graham who went back to his truck.

     "Nice friend you got there." Rosie mumbled.

     "Never said he was my friend." Jeremy replied. "Now please just try to imagine that convo never existed."

     "Mmm, why? So I don't have to overthink about all the possible girls you've been with?" Rosie asked stopping after Jeremy stopped a few feet away from the truck Graham had pointed.

     Jeremy shook his head before rubbing his chin, "I haven't been with anyone. I swear."

      "Okay well—"

      "Jer! Great, you're here!" A voice stopped the pair from arguing, "help me unload the box please."

Jeremy's attention left from Rosie to the person behind her. Rosie turned around to see who had interrupted her. It was a young girl on top of the truck bed sliding things towards the front. The boy walked towards the truck helping the girl unload a large box too heavy for her.

     "Can you take a break real quick?" Jeremy asked

      The girl was in a crouching position wiping away the sweat forming in her forehead. "For what?"

      "For her." Jeremy motioned with his head towards Rosie who stood a few feet away unaware who this girl was.

     The girl on the truck bed raised an eyebrow turning behind herself to follow where Jeremy was looking. Rosie's eyes widen once seeing the girl's face. The girl on the truck froze in complete shock not knowing what to do as she saw Rosie for the first time in years.

     "Mariana?" Rosie spoke slowly feeling her eyes turn watery as she was face to face with her younger sister.

     "Rosie?" Mariana replied with urgency in her tone as the girl rushed to get off the truck almost falling to the ground. "Is it actually you?"

     The older sister nodded trying to wipe away her tears right before Mariana came running to hug her. Rosie almost tumbled back from the force Mariana brought with her when she wrapped her arms around her. Rosie brought Mariana closer feeling her head resting on her chest.

     She hadn't grown as much as Rosie thought she would. Mariana stood about five feet tall and maybe with an inch more. The sisters hadn't seen each other in many years. Mariana was separated from the siblings first.

"You've, you've grown so much." Rosie commented resting her chin on top of Mariana's head. Her hands caressed the back of her little sister's head.

Mariana shook her head pulling away from the hug, "te has visto a ti misma? You look so different."

have you looked at yourself?

Rosie sniffled rubbing her nose as she could feel it getting stuffy. "Trying to survive has made me look quite crappy." Rosie joked.

      "Are you okay?" Mariana asked

      Rosie shook her head being honest about it before switching to her sister. "No but I will be. What about you? Are you okay? How? How did you get here? What happened?"

      Jeremy started unloading the rest of the items Mariana had to unload so he could give them time to talk. Mariana ran her fingers through her hair before letting out a big sigh. "I'm okay as of now." Mariana explained moving back towards the truck before climbing up and moving the rest to the edge. "Jeremy was actually the one who found me." She stated motioning her head to the boy who was walking towards them.

     "You did?" Rosie asked

      Jeremy nodded grabbing a large container down from the truck bed. "She was trying to pick pocket me then she cut me on my arm and ran away after."

      Rosie turned to look at Mariana who put her hands up in the air shrugging, "in my defense, I was starving."

     "She came back looking for me after finding what was in my wallet." Jeremy responded looking through his wallet to pull out a wrinkled picture. "It was a picture of you with Eirene, Maya, and Jessie." 

      Rosie grabbed a hold of the picture and remembering what day that was. "That was the day Eirene got chosen as one of the leaders." Rosie mumbled.

      "He told me he had been looking for you for almost four months." Mariana cut in, "I told him my name and he kind of put the pieces together. Not a day later, I'm riding in the backseat with him and his sister and heading back to base camp with the Right Arm."

      Mariana sat herself at the edge of the truck bed letting her feet swing in the air. "How long have you been alone? What happened with dad?" Rosie asked.

      The younger girl pursed her lips shaking her head, "I've been alone for almost two years now." Mariana answered, "I'd been looking for you guys. You, Nina, Vince, Winston, or Eirene. Any of you. I don't know what's happened. You were with all of them last time I saw you."

      Rosie climbed up on the bed truck letting out a sigh this time before telling her how they all got separated. "Eirene was the first to get separated. The rest of us did what we were told and headed to the train station. Vincent and Winston were accepted but Nina and I weren't. There was an outbreak in that station so the train that was suppose to come for us the next day never arrived. We hid for the night and with some luck we found Eirene. Nina had been infected during the time we reconnected with Eirene. I remember very vividly how Nina yelled at me and left us."

      "She ran away so she couldn't hurt you?" Mariana asked

      Rosie nodded, "that was the last time I saw her. Since then, I'd been with Eirene. We got separated about eleven months ago. The same time I got separated from Jeremy. But how did you get separated? You were with dad weren't you?"

      Mariana nodded and her eyes had immediately turned watery as she tilted her head down to hide her tears. "I wasn't enough." Mariana let out in a whisper.

      "What?" Rosie asked softly. "Mari—"

       Mariana looked up to face her, "you know after what happened with mom, he was never the same. When we got separated from you guys, dad assumed all of you were either dead or turned into cranks. He got really into his head that it was all of his fault. He blamed himself for everything. As much as I tried to give him hope and tell him that he still had me, he was just never the same. He wasn't dad."

       "One day when I came back from trading, I found him in the kitchen. He was hanging from a rope around his neck tied to the ceiling fan. He killed himself, Rosie." Mariana concluded. "I guess my begging wasn't enough for him to keep going. Instead he decided to leave me."

      Rosie wiped her own tears away as she hugged her crying sister tightly. "I'm so sorry." Rosie replied trying to comfort her.

Mariana pulled away shaking her head taking a deep breath and wiping her tears. "It's okay. I have you now." Mariana stated.

The older sister nodded responding, "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"Rosie! Rosie!" The two sisters turned to see who was calling for her. Maya stood in the middle of Samadhi and Mara calling out for her. "Get over here!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

— SORRY FOR THE SLOW UPDATES

— I'm trying my best I swear y'all

— this is kind of a short chapter I wanted to write more but I'll just write more for the next chapter

— guess how many chapters are left?? 

— TWO there are two chapters left yall

— did you guys like the chapter?

— I wanted to give the people who are rooting for Jeremy some content so y'all are welcome

— and mariana has officially entered the series !! a round of applause for my little bean

— let me know what you guys want for the last two chapters. What y'all want to see interact or some predictions y'all have

— anyways till next chapter guys!! See ya