The world is on fire right now in more ways than one. It seemed so bleak, I thought we needed a little Christmas.

I'm going to attempt to do my 12 days of Christmas but in July. I can't say whether or not I'll succeed, but we're taking things one day at a time.

Unfortunately, this isn't my first BMC Christmas fanfic. You wanna see Santa Claus partake in a SQUIP before realizing that that defeats the true meaning of Christmas, Merry SQUIPmas is right up your alley, lol.

Also do not worry there will be a normal 12 days of Christmas in December.

That being said, I don't know of a single person who reads all 12 of those fics anyway so...


"Why are we doing another play? I was already in a play. I was terrible! I nearly destroyed the entire school!"

"That was your SQUIP, silly," Christine said, putting her hand on his chest and feeling his now racing heart.

"Besides, that was the Fall play. This is the Christmas play! I'm going to be the ghost of Christmas past. Obviously, I need two more ghosts. That's where you guys come in."

"I… I don't know…" Jeremy said, his heart beating loud in his head and his palms sweating. He felt another hand on his body and he glanced over at Michael, who was shaking him by the shoulder.

"Come on, dude. It's a three-player game."

"You're into this?" Jeremy asked, his eyes widening as he glanced between Michael and Christine, apparently co-conspirators on the Christmas crazy train.

"Sure, Christmas is great, and we're already like, friends with the coolest people in school so, who's going to think we're lame?"

"I'm friends with the coolest people in school," Jeremy pointed out, "they're pretty much just cordially indifferent about you."

"Yeah," Michael agreed, "good point. Counterpoint, I don't care. We're like, invincible."

"I like it when you put it like that but, um… I'm just… I'm not a good actor, Christine. I've thought that since the first play, I'll only let you down."

"Jeremy," she said, really looking at him and making his whole body shudder with emotion, "Jeremy listen to me."

He impulsively leaned closer, "I'm listening…"

"Jeremy, there's no way you could fail more than the first play." Both Christine and Michael cracked up but Jeremy was still feeling nervous.

"Look, I don't really celebrate Christmas, okay? Dad and I haven't really done anything for it since mom left. Most I do is exchange gifts with Michael, I don't know how to get into the Christmas spirit, I wouldn't be a good ghost." Christine threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"Oh, Jeremy, you'd be the perfect ghost! Listen to you! You're all gloomy and unsure, you'd be a fantastic ghost of Christmas future! You wouldn't even have a line or anything you'd just have to point and look spooky!"

"Spooky? I thought this was a Christmas play."

"Have… Have you never read or seen an adaption of A Christmas Carol?" Michael asked incredulously.

"I don't know, maybe when I was a little kid."

"We have to watch the muppet version, like right now," Michael decided, "Christine, you in?"

"Oh, sure, it would help me get in character. So, what do you say, Jeremy?"

"Uh, sure, I'll watch A Muppet Christmas Carol with you guys."

"Awesome, but I meant, do you want to do the play with us? If you don't want to I'm sure Jake would do it-"

"-Let me watch the movie first," Jeremy blurted. He liked Jake, you know, as a person. Solid dude. But he didn't really appreciate the whole mutual-crushing relationship Jake and Christine had had. It was a big deal to be someone's upgrade. It had been a big deal that Brooke actually liked him back, even if it was under the influence of the SQUIP. It was a bigger deal that he was a guy that Christine could kinda be into without any SQUIP telling him how not to mess it up. He didn't want Jake to get in the way of that.

"Aww, I knew you'd come around!" She pressed a kiss to his cheek and then floated off in that ethereal warrior princess way of hers.

"Wow…" He mumbled, watching her walk away.

"Am I still your favorite person?" Michael teased, snapping him back to reality.

"I can't believe you're siding with her."

"This will be fun! Maybe I'll be good at it, y'know? And it'll be nice to have everyone noticing me in a positive light, instead of just ignoring me or assuming I'm in a polyamorous relationship with you and Christine."

"I thought boyf riends would die when I got a girlf riend."

"Boyf riends will never die, Jeremy."

"Fantastic," he muttered, "I've got to go to my last class. See you in a bit for the movie."

Jeremy thought about ghosts all the way to Michael's basement. He thought about how all his life there had been ghosts in his head telling him what to do and setting him up for inevitable failure. He thought about the SQUIP, who still haunted him in his dreams, he thought about how this was the first Christmas where he'd have more than just Michael to get a present for. He had all these other friends now, and he had Christine, and this whole Christmas thing was frankly overwhelming him.

He resonated with Scrooge, who seemed to slam the door on Christmas while screaming, "Bah Humbug!"

"Why can't I play that guy?" He whispered to Christine.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't have the acting credentials to play Scrooge."

"Right. When does my ghost show up?"

"It'll be a bit," Michael said, "now be quiet and watch the movie." So he settled in, still not knowing what he was getting into. If he said yes, it would make Christine so happy. She was so into this, into the play, into the holiday. He could imagine her wrapped up in tinsel, laughing and encouraging him to get into the spirit. He could imagine her making hot chocolate or going ice skating. She probably had all of these perfect holiday traditions, someone as high on life as Christine probably wanted to share the spirit of Christmas with everyone. But all the little things that excited her were also all the massive things that he and his dad had packed away in the attic when things had changed in the Heere household. He didn't know how to have a normal Christmas. He didn't know how to ice skate and he didn't really like the taste of hot chocolate.

"Jeremy? Are you alright? Are you paying attention?" Christine asked, brushing her hand across his face. She wasn't even flirting, she was just so affectionate. Usually, it made him all melty inside but this time of year it just made him feel overwhelmed. What if he wasn't enough? What if he wasn't emotionally open enough, what if he never would be again? What if their relationship failed the way his parents' relationship had? He wouldn't blame her if she left him. He knew that he was the loser, the geek, or whatever.

"I'm sorry," he blurted.

"It's just a movie, Jeremy, you don't need to be sorry."

"It's not about the movie." Now Michael paused the movie and conveniently got up to go use the bathroom, figuring he should give them space to work out whatever had Jeremy so worked up.

"Jeremy, you don't have to be in the play if you don't want to. It's okay. And… I won't even ask Jake if that's what you're worried about. You have nothing to be jealous of, but if that really makes you uncomfortable-"

"No, Jake doesn't make me uncomfortable and the play doesn't make me uncomfortable it's just... Like I said… I haven't celebrated Christmas that much since my mom left. You seem so happy about the holidays and I don't know how to match that, I don't know how to celebrate with you, I don't know what to get you, what would be enough to show how much I love you. I don't know how to be enough for you."

"You're already enough for me, Jeremy. You don't have to like Christmas. You don't have to like all the things I do. It would be enough for me if you came to see me in the play. That's all I want for Christmas."

"Of course I'll see you in the play. I'll… I'll be in the play. It's the least I can do for you, Christine, you make my world so much brighter."

"And you," she booped his nose when he thought she was going to kiss him, "make my life so much more interesting."

"Is that a good thing?"

"I think it is."

"Are you done making out?!" Michael called from the bathroom.

"Actually we just started," Christine yelled back, "do you want to join us?"

"I want to watch the movie!"

"I guess your thing works too!"

Michael came out, looking at the two of them all snuggled up together.

"So, are you in?" He asked Jeremy.

"Of course I'm in, it's a three-player game."