Chapter Text
Chapter Two - A dianosis and a date
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For about ten gloriously content minutes, David and Patrick pretty much just held hands, smiled at each other dopily, and chatted with the kind of ease David rarely felt under the horrors of fluorescent lighting - or with another person, just in general. It was making him giddy and he was doing a terrible job of hiding it.
Interrupting David’s embarrassing snort of laughter at Patrick’s story of the last time he was in an ER, another nurse came speed-walking over, looking much more stressed than the last one. She was throwing her hair up in a messy bun, blonde waves piled on top of her head. “Hey guys, I’m Alison. Mr. Rose, so sorry but we’ve just received word of a pretty significant pileup on the highway. A majority of the doctors on the floor are probably going to be rushed into emergency surgery. So it's going to be a bit of a wait until our on-call staff gets here!” She was wide-eyed and cringing a little before she’d even finished, despite her obvious efforts to smile, as if they were about to lose it on her completely.
Ughhh. “Oh. Fuck…” Her smile faltered slightly and he attempted a smile since he couldn't exactly complain about a mass trauma trumping his sad little ankle, even if his body wanted him to. “...um okay. Thanks.” Well, he didn’t say he was a saint.
Alison nodded quickly and shoved a little paper cup holding some blue and white pills into Patrick’s free hand, looking regretful. “Here's your meds, it's just Tylenol for now. That’s all we can do until the doctor can examine your ankle.”
David’s stomach plummeted at the thought of having to wait god knows how long for the real drugs, but to his surprise Patrick spoke first. After handing the pills over to David with a cup of water from the side table, he smiled at her kindly. “We totally understand and I hope everyone ends up okay, but uh, David hasn’t had his x-rays yet and he’s in a lot of pain, do you think there’s any chance we could get those over with now? We’d really appreciate it.”
Um. Patrick had just we’d him. Like he was his fucking husband or something. Not to mention he’d just gotten all take-charge and pushy about getting him X-rays ahead of multiple traumas, in his own incredibly Patrick way. Holy fuck that was attractive.
The nurse actually looked a little bowled over herself by Patrick’s sincere as fuck doe eyes and his warm but insistent tone. David didn’t blame her, those eyes were a lot. “Oh, he hasn’t had X-rays yet? Yeah, I’ll take you over to radiology right now, Mr. Rose. I’m so sorry, sweetie!”
David felt himself grimace at the endearment with his whole body, flinching as his ankle gave another sharp twinge. “Ow. Ew, please don’t call me Mr. Rose.” He called after her as she turned to jog away, despite knowing he was being a dick and that she probably couldn’t hear him anyway. “Or sweetie. Thanks so much.”
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Patient & Charming raised his eyebrows at David, frowning at his rudeness and yet still looking kind of amused as he carefully helped him to get his legs over the side of the bed. It was a look he often got from his dad. Actually…he got it from a lot of people. “I’m pretty sure she's doing us a favour, David. Maybe we could tone down the snark?”
We we we. David pressed his lips together tightly, trying not to smile as he huffed at him. He was honestly rather pleased Patrick felt comfortable enough to tell him off when he was being a brat. “Um, I am suffering right now? And you're laughing at me!”
“I’m also helping you.” Patrick smirked at him, looking completely unphased and patting him gently on the shoulder. “And I’m pretty sure you’d still be sprawled outside of JJ Bean if it weren't for me, but okay.”
At that image David found himself laughing rather than scowling and he watched Patrick’s expression soften as he stroked a finger along David’s cheek, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. It was as if to say he understood why he was being so irritable and David kind of felt like melting again.
Of course then Alison the nurse returned and interrupted their moment, popping up out of nowhere with the wheelchair. He really shouldn’t huff at her for being efficient, right?
Patrick helped him to stand up and securely held onto his waist as he balanced precariously on one leg. He couldn’t help but lean into him, feeling a little less steady than he’d been since he last stood. Not that he exactly minded if it meant he could keep snuggling up to Patrick like this. Patrick certainly didn’t look like he was about to complain either.
The nurse gave them a genuine, apologetic smile as she lightly placed a hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “The ambulances have started to arrive, sooner than we thought. I’m going to need you to take your boyfriend to radiology, sir. Sorry!” She gave him a few quick directions that David was not paying attention to because he was too busy trying not to smile imagining actually being able to call Patrick his boyfriend. He watched her as she dashed away behind a pair of intimidating, red striped doors before catching Patrick with a dopey smile of his own. He chose not to comment on it, which was surprisingly mature for his current mental state.
Patrick cleared his throat, attempting to wipe the silly smile off his face. “Sorry this isn't going so well, David, but I’ll get us over to radiology in no time. I don’t think it’s too far.” ”
Okay, all this ‘we’ and ‘us’ talk was getting to him if the wildly inappropriate, cannabis-and-opioid-induced daydreams he was suddenly having about Patrick were anything to go by. Maybe they should scan his brain too.
David obviously couldn't see his face, but he was sure Patrick was grinning as he chatted away and rolled them down the hallway, if the happy sound of his voice was anything to go by. As he told him about breaking his arm during a school field trip to their local ice rink, David tried and failed not to laugh. That made him sound like a monster but he couldn’t help himself - Patrick was a great storyteller and he was chuckling too. Apparently his twelve year-old self had been knocked over by his classmate when he was being all cocky and showing off his moves to his friends; the guy had bumped into him racing for the puck and accidentally slid his hockey stick under Patrick’s left skate. He’d flung out his arm to break his own fall, which apparently was the wrong move. “You did the right thing today David, the butt is much better prepared to take the impact than your arm or your wrist…” and apparently no one had believed him when he’d thought it was broken. Except for the contrite boy that had knocked him over.
David had stopped laughing at that point, gasping in horror at the idea of mini Patrick attempting to sleep with a broken arm. This was why he didn’t do sports. Unless people would count the go-go dancing he did in his early twenties, but he had a feeling that didn’t qualify. “Oh my god, poor thing! That would so not happen today with all the helicopter parents hovering. I blame the nineties. ”
Patrick just laughed good-naturedly, instantly defending his parents actions, or lack thereof. “I know, but my mum didn’t see it happen and she didn’t get home from work until dinner time. The teacher was pretty irresponsible if I think about it, but I’d managed to walk home on my own so I guess everyone thought a broken arm would’ve hurt more, I don’t know.” David hummed out a slightly concerned, skeptical hum and he just chuckled above him as he turned another corner. “My dad was away on a business trip and my extremely hyper seven year-old twin cousins were staying with us for some reason, so I think she was just a little distracted. And I didn’t complain about the pain much, ‘cause it didn’t hurt too bad if I kept still, so I don’t blame her.”
David mumbled that Patrick was much more forgiving than he was, and he patted his shoulder in a fond sort of way that he enjoyed a little too much. “Well she’s generally a pretty awesome mum, she took me to the hospital the next morning and was horrified with herself when the doctor showed us the obvious crack in the bone on my x-rays. She baked me my favourite pie the second we got home. It’s been almost twenty years and she still apologizes for it anytime it’s brought up, the poor woman.”
David secretly thought to himself that she kind of deserved to still feel guilty, but then he remembered how his own mother had literally never taken care of him when he was hurt or sick, and definitely hadn’t baked him anything. Ever. So, he decided to mentally give Mrs. Brewer a break, as if she’d care or it would make a difference. What were the chances he’d ever meet her? It was slightly terrifying that he’d even considered it. “Mhm. Well did the kid who pushed you at least get like, detention or something? Wait, what kind of pie was it?”
Patrick snorted in amusement and David didn’t fully understand why. The little hoodlum had broken his classmates arm , the bare minimum he could do was sit in detention for like, the rest of the school year, if he wasn’t put in juvie. Oh, maybe he was laughing about his added inquiry about the pie. David was hungry now that the pain had worn off a little, he couldn’t help himself. “It was her famous raspberry custard crumble pie….” Fuck, that sounded amazing, he had to put in some effort not to drool. “...and no, David, the school didn’t punish the kid for something that was clearly an accident. He didn’t push me, the stick got away from him.”
David scoffed and twisted in the chair to glare up at Patrick as if it was his fault, which was admittedly ridiculous. “ Okay , at the very least? He better have acted as your assistant until your cast came off.”
Patrick just smiled at him fondly, shaking his head as they rolled down a long hallway lined with windows on one side, moving towards a set of bright blue doors as the fall sun bounced off the squeaky clean floor. “He kind of did actually. I had a pretty big crush on the guy, not that I recognised it for what it was at the time, but I swear I was happy it’d happened when I went to school the next day and he threw himself down on his knees to apologise. Very dramatically to my twelve year-old delight, he was a popular musical theatre kid and a jock.”
David had to smile at the image, understanding now why Patrick had sounded so amused when he started telling the story. “Mm, that is a rare, pretty attractive combination. Was he cute?”
Patrick chuckled, his voice sounding adorably pleased as he reminisced. “Yeah, for sure. Everyone loved him. He was tall, with really nice dark brown hair and a beautiful smile. And he was sort of the class clown, in a drama kid kind of way, all witty and sarcastic and animated. You kind of remind me of him actually.”As he wheeled him past the automatic doors with ‘Radiology Department’ plastered over them in a hideously uninspired font, David turned to smile up at him again and he honestly giggled.
He was happy at that moment for the light high still washing over him. “That is very sweet, but I wasn’t exactly beloved when I was in school. I think everyone just saw me as the like, sassy, artsy outcast with an unfortunate fashion sense. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this .” David gestured up and down his body and in front of his face with both hands to emphasize his words, and Patrick gave him a small, sincere smile as he replied with enthusiasm.
“Well that’s their loss, David…” He did a funny little, cute wink that reminded him of Alexis or his mom, as he maneuvered his wheelchair into a free spot by the nurses station, letting out a quiet, contented sigh when he sat next to him. Despite the deeply uncomfortable looking, hard plastic chair. “...anyway, after his big apology he wrote on my cast with a bright blue smelly felt. He drew a huge heart with ‘ sorry brewer I owe you one’ in the middle, and I actually kept it after they sawed it off because I liked it so much.”
David couldn’t help but let out a happy, amused grin at that anecdote, he could only imagine how adorable pre-teen Patrick had been considering he was thirty and still had an innocent looking, but very handsome, baby face. He told him so and it made Patricks’ cheeks flush pink like when he’d called him beautiful earlier. Which only made him more beautiful, which was just unfair. “Thanks David. So, we might be waiting here for a while, do you want to tell me about your business maybe? I'm actually a small business consultant, so I might be able to give you some advice at the very least. Only if you’re up for it.”
David had to press his lips together to contain another bright smile, feeling all warm and fuzzy as Patrick looked at him all earnest and curious, remembering how he’d looked like that in the car too when he’d explained about his ‘meeting’. He’d meant to text the guy to say he wasn’t coming, but he’d forgotten, again. He’d probably thought David had terrible hookup etiquette and just flaked out on him. It would just be weird if he texted now. Okay maybe it wouldn’t, but he didn’t want Patrick to think he was still interested in meeting up with some random. Maybe Patrick was technically a random, but he didn’t feel like one, not now. He never had, truthfully.
David realised he’d been zoning out when he felt Patrick playfully nudging his shoulder with his own, an amused smile on his perfect, enticing lips. Oh god, did he just use the word, enticing?
He needed to shut that down if he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the other patients and hospital staff by straddling Patrick’s lap and - fuck, he couldn’t do that even if he did have no shame, he had a fucking broken ankle that he should probably be more careful with. His mind was a little foggy with warm, lusty feelings as he cleared his throat and tried to focus on his answer. “ Mhm sure. That’s really nice of you to offer, um, I’m taking over the lease for the general store in my ridiculously tiny town? And it needs a major overhaul, like in every way you can think of. I want to sell locally made, artisan skincare products, knitwear, pottery…mm maybe wine and charcuterie items too if I can get a liquor license?”
He paused to glance at Patrick and found that he had a new favourite smile, an adorably sincere, almost upside down one that he really wanted to kiss. “That's a big deal, David, congratulations. You can definitely get a liquor license and sell food as long as you have a serving-it-right certificate and a solid business plan, do you have those yet?”
The fact that Patrick was so interested in this, and so knowledgeable was giving him an excited little burst of energy, helping him to forget that he was in a hospital waiting room under incredibly unflattering fluorescent lights with an aching broken bone. He felt like they were already on a date, which was a bit ridiculous, with the circumstances. “Mm, the certificate? Yes. I needed it for serving canapes and wine during the art shows at my old gallery in New York. The business plan, not yet but I know I need one. I want the store to be like a um, branded, immersive experience? I’m planning to sell the products on consignment, under my own label.”
Patrick raised his eyebrows with a growing, possibly excited smile and he sort of rubbed at David’s cashmere-covered forearm like he was proud of him or something, which felt better than it had any right to. “Wow, that’s really impressive! Maybe you can tell me more about your gallery in New York at dinner? That sounds really cool, I’ve always wanted to go there. Do you have a name for the store?”
David wasn’t used to someone being so genuinely eager to hear what he had to say, it was making it very hard to control the fond look that was trying to mirror Patrick’s own. He felt a little dazed at his sincerity and thoughtful comments. And, the way he’d said ‘really cool’ with his eyes all round and soft was endearing as hell. He nodded at him with his lips pursed to the side, biting back a goofy smile, despite the brief pang in his chest at the memory of that terribly revealing conversation with his mother a couple days ago. “Mhm, I can do that. And I was thinking of Rose Apothecary for the name of the store. My last name is Rose, I think it would be timeless without sounding, um…”
He trailed off trying to think of the right word and Patrick interjected with a cheeky smile and an almost intrigued glint in his eye. “Pretentious?”
David purposely gasped, looking at him like he was deeply offended as he threw a hand up in indignation. “ Okay I don’t love your tone? You - ”
Patrick cut him off quickly, patting his shoulder and smiling apologetically. “David, no, I actually think it’s just right for what you’re trying to create. This all sounds really inventive, you’ve clearly put a lot of thought into it. The people in this area need something like this, your town is lucky to have you. ”
Patrick’s blushing must be catching because he could swear he felt his cheeks warming up at his praise and he had to wave a casual hand in front of him to try and brush it off, rolling his eyes. “Mmkay thanks.” It seemed he already knew a bit about reading David’s tone and expression, because he just smiled at his attempts to appear unbothered, carrying on their conversation.
“So, I don’t know if you need help with the financial side of things, I’m assuming you have the down payment and everything? But you might need more start-up money, depending on how much you’ve saved. I’m totally not trying to be patronising, it’s just that in my experience, almost every aspiring new business owner underestimates the costs. There’s all sorts of ‘hidden fees’ that can be unfairly expensive.”
David felt his stomach sink, just a little. “Okay, well I have around fourty thousand?” Maybe it was frowned upon to talk about money on a first date, but this seemed like a reasonable exception since he was a legit consultant not just a very cute potential…something.
Patrick smiled encouragingly, and he instantly felt a bit better. “That's definitely a great start. But yeah, you’ll probably need more if you want a large variety of products and plan to renovate the space…” David nodded exaggeratedly, grimacing as he thought of the current state of the store. “...luckily there’s pretty significant grants you can apply for when you’re selling locally made products.”
He felt a little overwhelmed at the thought of more paperwork, he happened to hate that part of owning a business - he hadn’t had to do it himself for the gallery, he could afford to pay someone. Ugh. “Okay, I’ll look into that. Thank you.”
Patrick nodded, his smile looking a little hesitant as he paused for a moment before speaking. “Well I uh, I can just email you the forms if you like. I have a whole file of them on my phone in case I need to send my clients paperwork when I don’t have my laptop. ” God, how was he so nice , and generous to someone he’d just met?
He thought to himself suddenly that meeting Patrick was possibly the best thing that’s ever happened to him and he let his smile and his heart get carried away as he replied. “That would be really helpful actually, thank you. I’m um, I’m starting to think that breaking my ankle might’ve actually been a good thing?” He had a brief feeling of anxiety when he realised that was kind of a huge thing to say, but it melted away quickly when Patrick gave him fully blown heart eyes and a gorgeous, fond grin. It made him feel kind of dazed with how much he liked him, and he didn’t even try to stop himself from glancing down at Patrick’s mouth when he licked at his soft, pink lips.
Fuck, he really didn’t want to wait to kiss him anymore.
He felt stupidly giddy when he noticed Patrick had caught him looking and his cheeks had flushed pink in response, his beautiful doe eyes widening hopefully before flickering to David’s mouth. He looked back up at him with a soft, knowing smile and leaned into David’s space a little, like he was giving him permission. Oh thank fuck, apparently neither of them wanted to wait. The buzz of chatter in the room started to fade away as he eagerly lifted his hand to slide along Patrick’s neck, watching his eyelids flutter shut as David cradled his jaw and gently tugged him in for a soft kiss, warm pliable lips brushing against his own.
He swore his heart actually skipped a beat as Patrick’s breath hitched with a soft, almost relieved laugh against his mouth and he felt fucking giddy, lightly stroking his thumb along his flushed cheek. Tilting his head a little, he let out a pleased hum as he gently sucked on Patrick’s lower lip and heard a soft, happy sound come from him, making David to smile into their kiss. He grinned back easily, softly licking at David’s mouth before he tugged his bottom lip between his teeth; he felt a quiet giggle bubble up out of himself and Patrick responded with his own blissful laugh as he pressed a little closer, resting a hand on David’s thigh. This felt so incredibly -
“Excuse me, hunnies!”
Oh my god, really? Hunnies was a new low. David pulled away from what was admittedly the best kiss of his life, scowling at the interruption as he thought to himself that he’d never expected to say that about making out in a hospital . Patrick snorted in amusement, looking adorable as he flushed more than ever, his freshly kissed lips all shiny and plump, his eyes lit up with glee. Fuck , he was pretty.
The interruption (David would forever refer to the overly bubbly x-ray tech as this) laughed, sounding a little too amused, as Patrick dragged a hand down his pink, grinning face and David quietly huffed at her with raised eyebrows. “Come on fellas, let's get some radiographs of Mr. Rose’s funny ol’ ankle.”
David glared at her probably a little more intensely than necessary, but she’d interfered in their first kiss, so what did she expect? Okay she had no way of knowing that, but still. “Um, excuse you, I basically just turned thirty.”
Patrick chuckled as the interruption just shrugged with an infuriatingly cheerful smile, gesturing for him to push David’s wheelchair into the other room to their left. “Good one, babe.” He desperately tried to control his disapproving reaction at that term, but apparently he didn't quite manage it because Patrick smirked at him teasingly as he wheeled the chair into position, following the interruptions directions. He tilted his head playfully at David and he honestly happily awaited the teasing. “Sweetie pie? Pumpkin? Davie cakes?”
David snorted inelegantly, spluttering and shaking his head at the last one in particular. Of course the always considerate Patrick noticed and beamed as he helped him lift his leg onto the platform of the x-ray machine. “Davie cakes it is!” The interruption laughed jovially as she then manhandled David’s swollen, angry looking ankle into position with nowhere near the same amount of care that Patrick had.
“Ow, fuck.” David practically growled at her stupid face as his ankle throbbed painfully. Even Patrick frowned at her unhappily, placing his hand on shoulder and squeezing it gently as David snapped at her, barely trying to reign in his frustration. “Um, Karen is it? I don't think my foot can bend that way right now. I have broken this bone thrice now and the x-rays have never hurt this much. And you haven’t even started.”
Her eyes widened as she smiled at him apologetically, but it was still irritating somehow. “Oh gee sorry, Mr. Rose!” Patrick interrupted, correcting her as he simply said he prefers David and wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. “It’s probably a pretty bad break then. But maybe hubby here can get it right for you!”
Oh god, he wasn’t even going to comment on that. Not only because she’d just called Patrick his husband and that made him feel a slightly terrifying amount of things, but he also hated the word hubby with all his heart. He rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in defeat, deciding he was just going to ignore her the best he could as she shooed a snickering Patrick out of the room to take the images.
“At least wait for me to buy a ring before you start calling me your husband, David!” He gave him a dorky little wink and a huge grin as he backed out of the room and David tried his best to glare at him while his traitorous heart supplied him with the image of a platinum wedding band on Patrick’s finger. That fucking interruption.
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Once they'd taken multiple x-rays at different, excruciating angles, Patrick wheeled him back to his bed in the ER and practically lifted David from the chair and back into the bed. He was careful just like before, helping him get into a relatively comfortable sitting position and propping his ankle back up on a pillow. He felt a bit like a ragdoll as Patrick gently maneuvered him, he was pretty sure the thc oil and painkillers he’d taken earlier had worn off considering the pain throbbing from his ankle and draining his energy.
Patrick sat down on the edge of the bed by his knee, smiling at him as he placed a hand low on his thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. He gave David a sympathetic smile when he winced at a random, painful twinge shooting up his calf. “Can I do anything for you?”
He looked so soft and concerned it kind of made him want to cry, feeling all vulnerable again like he had when he’d been sprawled on cold, wet ground with people just standing around being obnoxious. Feeling a little needy, he grasped Patrick’s hand where it sat on his legs and gave it a tug. “I think I need something to lean against, can you come up here?”
Patrick smiled at him knowingly, like it was obvious David just wanted some affection and comfort, but he kindly didn’t point it out, just teasing him a little instead. “Of course, I'm glad I can be of service to you in some way, David.”
Oh he walked right into that one. Or he’d said it on purpose to make him laugh because he knew he was feeling a little down. Yeah, that sounded about right. “Mhm, well I think there are many ways you could be of service to me, actually?” He snorted to himself, surprised at his own corniness.
Patrick laughed, shaking his head as he kicked off his shoes, carefully got into the bed and wrapped an arm around David, gently tucking him into his side before replying with a cheeky smile. “You know, as fucking great as that sounds, it’s probably best to keep it PG in the emergency room.”
David couldn’t help grinning at his enthusiasm, feeling surprisingly comfortable as he cuddled up to him. Patrick didn’t swear often, so when he did it was kind of entertaining. “Mmkay fine, you’re probably right.” He gave him a silly pout and nuzzled into his shoulder, giving him a sneaky kiss under his ear.
He was pretty sure he could feel Patrick smiling into his hair as he tugged him a little closer into his side. “Sorry Davie cakes, you want a kiss? Would that cheer you up?”
David rolled his eyes fondly as he leaned into his side, tilting his head to scowl up at him. “I’d like to remind you that I did not approve of that horrific nickname.”
Patrick chuckled, kissing his temple. “Aw, you don’t like it?”
David just raised his eyebrows and silently gave him a well-practiced, unimpressed scowl, but with Patrick beaming at him, his lip started twitching about ten seconds in. He chuckled quietly and just shrugged as he leaned in to kiss him through his smile, Patrick letting out a surprised laugh against his mouth. He wiggled around a bit, turning into him as he brought his hand up to the column of David’s neck and brushed his thumb along the curve of his jaw while they kissed. Being wrapped up in him like this was an excellent painkiller, he’d highly recommend it. It was a little weird how being with Patrick felt so comfortable, familiar even, but still new and exciting too, it was kind of mind-blowing that they’d only known each other for a couple of hours.
David basically never had hope that things would last when he started dating someone but with Patrick, even though he knew they weren’t technically dating, it felt different. He was already having all these ridiculous thoughts about a possible future together, especially when it came to the store - Patrick would be the perfect business partner. Considering they hadn’t even been anywhere together other than the hospital, he should probably tell his heart to get it together after he’d let it get carried away earlier when they’d kissed in the radiology department.
Thankfully interrupting his thoughts, Patrick gently pulled away after a couple minutes of PG kisses and gave him a cute, cheeky smile as he settled against the mattress, gently tightening his arm around his shoulders. “Okay David, I'm gonna need to stop kissing you given this very public venue.” He’d deny it if asked, but he totally did whine a little as he nuzzled back into Patrick’s shoulder and he laughed, carding his fingers through David’s hair, making him want to purr like a kitten. “Oh hey, give me your email so I can send you those grant applications before I forget.”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped away on it for a moment before passing it to David, a new contact page open on the screen with his name at the top. Smiling to himself at the simple fact that Patrick had remembered their conversation and his need for startup grants, he typed in his email address and his phone number, feeling stupidly giddy as he texted himself so he’d have his information as well.
He felt like he was in highschool dating his first boyfriend. Except this was so much better. He passed the phone back to Patrick, who was giving him an amused, pleased smile. “Thanks for not making me ask for your number too.”
“Mhm, you’re welcome. I kind of assumed asking for my email was basically asking for both?” He looked at him with what was probably a ridiculously fond smirk and Patrick leaned into him for a really quick kiss like he didn’t trust himself to linger. David was more than content to silently snuggle into Patrick’s solid, warm body, enjoying the feeling of his arms around him while he looked for the relevant application forms on his phone.
When he was finished, Patrick leaned over to put his phone on the side table and cuddled back into him, his smile looking a little shy all of a sudden. He cleared his throat as he gave him another soft kiss to his temple and spoke up quietly. “This might be a bit much considering we just met, but partnering with a new small business and being a part of it from the start, it’s uh, actually something I've been interested in since I graduated. I just, well it hasn’t happened obviously, I haven’t really had the opportunity...” David felt himself flush with warmth as he thought about what Patrick was getting at, an excited little flutter in his belly as he trailed off, looking away and mindlessly playing with David’s rings on his right hand.
He hummed to himself as he waited for Patrick to look back up at him, making sure his face wasn’t looking too excited, or desperate truthfully. It was like he’d read David’s mind. He’d already been fantasising about them opening the store together, no matter how crazy that was. As he glanced back at David, looking adorably hopeful and a bit unsure, he smiled at him in a way he hoped was reassuring. “Patrick, um…” He started to speak without being fully sure of what he was going to say to him, but as he quickly tried to organise his scrambled, jittery thoughts, they were rudely interrupted again.
David obviously wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible, but these medical professionals had the worst timing. He squeezed Patrick’s hand and smiled at him as a doctor in dark blue scrubs appeared beside the bed, hoping it communicated the fact that he didn’t need to worry about what he’d just brought up. He was pretty sure it worked because Patrick looked more relaxed when he smiled back at him, then sat up straight, not letting go of David's hand as looked up at the doctor with a friendly, expectant expression.
“David Rose? Hi, I’m Dr. Mikhailo, sorry you’ve been waiting without sufficient painkillers, it’s nice to see you have a loved one here to support you. How are you feeling, pain wise?” Not that David was interested, and he had a wedding ring on anyway, but this guy was pretty. And young, for a doctor. He glanced at Patrick, reading his expression easily to see that he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Patrick met his eye and seemed to know exactly what he was thinking somehow, chuckling and giving him a silly, apologetic smile. The doctor cleared his throat and he jumped a little realising there’d been a bit too long of a pause. “Hi, um the pain is still not great? But it’s bearable if I don’t move it. And yes, Patrick’s been very helpful and um, nice. ”
Patrick snorted beside him, raising his eyebrows with a bright, teasing smile. “Thank you for that glowing review, David. Truly.”
David rolled his eyes at him fondly and the hot doctor gave them a curiously amused look, raising his own expressive eyebrows as he brought out the x-rays with a flourish, placing them on the lit up display wall and gesturing with one hand. David noticed there were rough, faded letters tattooed across his fingers but he couldn’t read what they spelled out, itt was a little intriguing, he didn’t think he’d ever seen a doctor with visible tattoos like that. He spotted Patrick looking at them too and he gave himself a little shake, trying to focus. The guy probably had people staring at his hands all the time.
“So, David! I’ll get some painkillers in a minute. It looks like you've actually cracked this bone in your ankle, can you see the shadow here on the x-ray? It is known to be more painful than a clean break, unfortunately.” Patrick squeezed his hands and gave him a genuinely empathetic little aw, David when he winced looking at the image. “Fortunately, you’re not going to need a plaster cast. We can give you some crutches and a walking boot cast but you have to keep all weight off the ankle for at least 4-5 weeks.” Ugh, trying to get all the store stuff organised while on crutches was going to be a nightmare. Unless he had help.
He took a deep, calming breath as he looked over at Patrick and felt that flutter again at the reassuring smile on his face as he took the clunky boot cast from the doctor. “Well, it's black at least. I’m guessing it’ll at least accessorise nicely with your wardrobe.”
David scoffed at him playfully, his smile peaking out despite himself. “Mmkay, but the fiberglass cast is actually much more aesthetically pleasing? I am glad it’s not plaster though.”
Patrick laughed at him, looking fond as hell as he tore off the Velcro straps of the boot to get it ready to put on. “I think this thing is pretty cool, look you just press this bubble thing here and it pumps air into the walls of the boot so it tightens around your ankle and supports it. Much better than fibreglass, you can take it off in the shower after the four weeks are up I think.”
The doctor nodded in agreement and gave them another amused smile, glancing between them. “Well David, it looks like you're in good hands with this guy. Do you need a demo for these?” He gestured at the crutches.
God no. He was painfully familiar with how to use them. “Absolutely not. I could teach the demo at this point.”
Patrick chuckled good naturedly, careful not to jostle him. “How exactly did you manage to break your ankle ‘ thrice’ ?”
“Let's just say I used to wear heels a lot? And New York has a lot of dodgy, crumbling sidewalks in the Meatpacking District.”
“I’m sorry, heels? Like, high heels ? That's a gorgeous image.”
“Mhm, go-go dancing at a diva-themed bar was kind of my thing for a while.”
“Oh wow. My imagination is just going wild here, excuse me.”
They’d rambled back and forth for a moment or two, grinning at each other like a couple of fools and apparently oblivious to the fact that the doctor hadn't left yet, jumping when he cleared his throat. He was smiling though as he interjected with more of a grin than the small, tight smile he’d been giving them before. “Funny you say that, he didn’t wear heels, but my husband actually used to be a go-go dancer in Chicago. You’re a lucky guy.” He laughed a little as he nodded at Patrick, who instantly grinned back at him with his cheeks turning a little pink and David just raised his eyebrows in surprise at Dr. Mikhailo. That was pretty innuendo-y for a doctor, or maybe David just had a dirty mind. Well, he knew he did.
He seemed to interpret the look as disapproval at his comment or something because he rubbed at his eyebrow in a nervous sort of twitch and cleared his throat. “Uh I apologise, that wasn’t exactly appropriate - “
Patrick interrupted, shaking his head with a ridiculous smile on his face as he glanced between David and the doctor. “Oh no, hey, you’re right. I’m the luckiest, for sure.”
For fucks sakes, he was almost unbearbly sweet. Not actually though. The doctor chuckled a little, still glancing at David warily so he spoke up enthusiastically. “Mhm, absolutely no need to apologise, personally I loved that little anecdote.”
Dr. Mikhailo laughed, his expression relaxing as he nodded, tapping his fingers on David’s chart in his hands. Did the tattoo on his right hand say fuck?! “Alright, thanks. So you're free to go as soon as a nurse comes and discharges you, alright? Hope it heals up nice and quick for ya.” They both thanked him, Patrick giving a little wave, and he said goodbye, gathering the x-rays to saunter over to another patient who looked like they’d broken a finger.
Patrick turned to him with an amused smile as he gave the boot cast a little shake in front of him, using it to gesture at his ankle. “Do you want some help putting this one?”
David may have already worn two of these in his life, but he liked the idea of Patrick touching him some more, so he just nodded gratefully as Patrick carefully hopped off the bed. He placed the boot down just to the left of his swollen ankle and carefully picked up David’s leg, grasping him gently under his calf and lowering his foot into the cast with a very focused expression on his face. No matter how carefully Patrick tried to get his ankle snugly tucked away in the boot, it still really fucking hurt, especially when it came to to tightening the Velcro straps against his ankle. He swore under his breath, repeatedly, as the bone twinged and throbbed painfully, Patrick apologizing every five seconds as he winced in sympathy. It was a relief though, when he was finished, it felt good to have his ankle tightly secured and supported inside the cast.
“Sorry that was so painful David, does it feel a bit better now though? Let me know if it’s too tight.” Patrick was smiling at him but he still looked concerned, probably especially because David’s mouth was just opening and closing pointlessly as he struggled for what to say. He was feeling all soft and emotional again. Patrick had been taking care of him for hours now but he still wasn’t used to it.
Not a single one of the times he’d broken a bone had someone been there for him, not even Alexis. Not that she wouldn’t have, but she was always travelling at the time. He’d never had this kind of support and genuine care, not when he’d been hurt or heart broken or even when he caught the flu or a cold. Well, Adelina had sort of looked after him when he was sick as a kid, but she’d had a lot of work to do so she hadn’t been able to stick around all that much. He was horrified when his eyes started to well up with tears at the sad, slightly pathetic realization that this beautiful, kind stranger was the first person to care for him like this since he was a child . He forgot to answer Patrick’s question as he ducked his head, sniffing a little as he swiped at his eyes and rummaged in his bag that Patrick had put on his lap.
Patrick noticed, of course, and he leaned into David’s space, stroking the back of his head gently. “Hey hey what's up, is it hurting a lot? I can go get some painkillers from the nurse’s station, I thought someone was supposed to bring you something to take home.”
He moved like he was going to go find someone, but David reached out and grabbed his arm, making a humiliating whining sound as he tugged him back, shaking his head. “It’s fine, it's just um...” Patrick listened intently, looking a bit worried, but so incredibly fond as he nodded and gestured for him to continue. “...it's been a long day but, you’ve made it, um, mildly tolerable?” What the actual fuck really, was that the best he could do.
Regardless of his underwhelming statement, Patrick’s big smile lit up his eyes as he laughed, looking happy and not one bit offended. He knew it had been much more than tolerable. “Aw, thanks, David. I’m so glad I’ve made your day a teeny bit easier.”
David huffed out a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head firmly, wanting to give him a bit more than a simple thanks. “You know you haven’t just made it tolerable, I don’t know why I said that. Okay, this sad fact makes me a bit pathetic? A lot pathetic, actually? But this weird, painful day has been the nicest date I’ve ever had.”
Patrick gave him that adorable upside down version of his smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a quiet chuckle as he looked at him with soft eyes. “Me too, believe me. I don’t think you’re pathetic at all, but if you are then we’re in it together David.” He shrugged, looking so smitten and earnest that he felt like his heart was going to just burst out of him. Instead of answering he reached up to grab the front of Patrick’s sweater and pulled him into a soft, smiling kiss.
“Okay, David Rose! You’re all set, just remove that man from your lips and hop your way on home!”
Seriously. The worst timing, these people. Although this lady was actually kind of funny at least. They pulled apart, flushed but chuckling and Patrick rubbed his fingers over his mouth, only partly hiding a giant grin. David thanked the nurse as she left another small cup of meds on the side table. “You might want these for the drive home, David.”
He nodded at her with a grateful smile and turned to Patrick as she left, wiggling a little as he tried to lift his boot off the bed, wincing with his whole body as a sharp twinge burst from his ankle and shot up his leg. “Ow. Fucking fuck. Patrickkk. ”
He was lucky Patrick was putting up with his whiny ass, just smiling away at David’s grumpy pout and passing him the pills with a bottle of water that had appeared out of nowhere. He immediately swallowed them down, mumbling a thank you as he tugged on the sleeve of Patrick’s sweater like a needy six year-old. He knew he was being ridiculous but the brief emotional breakdown had left him feeling extra soft and vulnerable.
“Okay, we better get some protein and carbs in that belly considering all the meds you’ve taken” He smiled as he patted David’s stomach fondly, making him grimace momentarily before sighing and letting out another whine for no real reason at all other than that he wanted Patrick to hold him.
“Help, please.” He reached up for him all clingy making Patrick laugh a little as he grasped onto his hands and helped him to stand up, passing him the crutches and letting him drape an arm around his sturdy shoulders so he could balance.
“You got it? Try not to put any weight on it. You wanna lean on me till we get to the car?” David didn’t think about it, just nodded and handed him one of the crutches, humming contentedly as he enjoyed the feeling of Patrick’s strong, sturdy arm around his waist. “Alright, nice and slow. No rush.” He felt his eyes threatening more tears at his patient, soothing tone, so he took a couple deep, steadying breaths as he leaned on Patrick, gripping a crutch tightly on his other side.
It would one hundred percent, absolutely be easier to just use the crutches properly, but he liked having an excuse to hang on to Patrick right now. The young nurse that had first helped them waved goodbye as they did their awkward hop and hobble out the door to Patrick’s car. After another supremely graceful maneuver on both their parts, David was safely deposited in the passenger seat, Patrick rubbing David’s thigh across the console with a soft smile as he pulled out of their spot.
“What kind of food sounds good to you right now? I know you were nauseous earlier, maybe some kind of comfort food? He glanced away from the road, his warm hand still resting on his thigh.
“Mm, I do feel weirdly hungover? Comfort food sounds good. What’s your usual?”
He had to smile as he watched Patrick grinning away as he bobbed his head along to the radio. “Poutine? Or my mum's lasagna would be the first pick if it's available.”
David closed his eyes, almost moaning at the thought of lasagna. “Oh my fucking god, yes. Would you be opposed to lasagna that wasn’t made by your mum?”
Patrick shook his head, a cute little smile quirked up at the corner of his mouth. “Not at all, that sounds great. I saw an Italian place on our drive here. Actually, it was near the JJ Bean.”
David hummed to himself as if he was thinking about it. There was no way he’d say no now that the idea of lasagna was in his mind. “Okay, I think I can go back to the scene of this morning's trauma.”
Patrick laughed, looking over at him all sweet and soft as he slowed to a stop at a red light. “I’m just going to think of it as the place we first met.”
He leaned towards him for a soft kiss and gave his knee a little squeeze, making his heart want to burst with affection as he kissed him back, happily mumbling against his mouth. “Mmkay, I like that better.” The car behind them suddenly honked their horn, making Patrick squeal and jump back from the kiss.
David let out a very unflattering, loud, cackling laugh and he didn’t even care, he felt lighter than he had since, well, he couldn’t remember when. Patrick grinned at him quickly before looking back to watch the road. “I know we haven’t actually had dinner yet, but I can’t help thinking that I wish this day didn’t have to end.”
His cheeks flushed before he even finished the sentence, his smile so soft, and David felt like he was most likely mirroring his heart eyes as he nodded in complete agreement. It was kind of nuts that the day he broke his ankle for the third time was now one of his favourites. “Where were you headed today? I can’t believe I haven’t asked.”
“You've kind of had a lot to deal with, David. I was uh, actually I was out here doing some errands, picking up some new dress shirts. I’m starting a new job next week.”
“Ooh, I wish I’d gotten to help with the shopping. Where is it?”
“You’re gonna laugh. I’m doing some consultant work for this guy Ray. He’s hilarious, he must’ve started at least eight businesses at once. I got this room at his place for cheap, don’t know how long I’m going to stay, I’m kind of, uh, in between things.”
David’s heart was suddenly beating a lot faster than normal as felt a tingling sensation of familiarity at Patrick mentioning a funny man called Ray with his multiple businesses. He cleared his throat and tried to calm his racing heart as he nodded, staring at Patrick a little too intently. “Um, and where is this new job?”
“Okay, don't make fun of me. It's this super small town about an hour from here and it’s got a terrible name but you’ve probably never heard of it. Schitt’s Creek. Can you believe that?” Patrick started to laugh as he glanced over at him, interpreting David’s stunned expression as shock at the name. “Yes, David, that’s actually what it's called. It seems like a really friendly little town from what little I’ve seen, and heard. You know, despite the inappropriate, slightly incestuous welcome sign.”
Oh. My. Fucking. God. David's heart felt like it had literally leapt into his throat, planning its escape as he tried for a coherent reply. “Holy fuck. Um, Patrick...” He trailed off momentarily, not exactly sure how to say it. Although, they’d just had an emergency room date and now were heading for dinner so, this was a good thing. Patrick would be excited about it too, especially considering he’d started to insinuate that he’d like to be involved in the store somehow before the doctor had interrupted.
Patrick kept glancing between the road and his face, looking at him with concern as David felt his eyes well up again, but not with any kind of pain this time. Yes, this was good. Definitely. He was just stunned at his luck. “What is it, are you okay? You look kinda flushed, is it your ankle?”
David took another breath and somehow managed actual words. “Um, no, it's fine. Oh my god I just, I actually currently live in Schitt’s Creek.”
Patrick honest to god gasped, his eyes impossibly wide and round as he gaped at David and squeezed his thigh. “I’m sorry, what? You live in that tiny town? We live in that tiny town?!”
David breathed out a shaky laugh as he nodded his reply, followed by a louder, more joyous one as Patrick suddenly pulled over, threw the car into park and turned to him looking unbelievably thrilled with one arm resting on the back of David’s seat and the other grasping his thigh. “I’m going to need you to say that again, David, I feel like I'm hearing things.”
He let out an amazed, disbelieving laugh as he stroked David’s leg, his bright eyes shining as he beamed at him like he was something special. David smiled a small fond smirk as he leaned in and kissed him, mumbling against his mouth. “I live in Schitt’s Creek...” He leaned back to see Patrick grinning wildly and let out a slightly embarrassing little giggle before kissing him again. “...and apparently so do you?” Patrick chuckled softly, sounding just as stunned as David felt, shaking his head with his eyes squeezed shut for a moment before he broke into another radiant smile and pressed himself up against him as close as he could get, kissing him over and over until both of them were joyfully laughing far too much to continue. Especially when Patrick’s stomach gave a loud grumble.
David rested back against the headrest and just took in the sight of this beautiful stranger who he just knew was going to end up as his business partner, and hopefully so much more. He knew he was looking outrageously fond, giving away any and all of his feelings towards Patrick as he gazed at him, but he could not find a single flying fuck to give considering how elated he looked as he grinned back. He brought his hand up to stroke Patrick’s chest, needing to touch him, brushing over his soft cheeks with his fingertips before he kissed him feeling blissfully overwhelmed. He hummed contentedly and Patrick let out a happy, disbelieving laugh into their kiss, asking him a question against his lips.
“Hey, have you heard of some place called Cafe Tropicale?”
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