Chapter Text
“My boyfriend doesn’t like the shoes, so I’m gonna take the shoes off.”
It was only the second time that Patrick had called David his boyfriend (out loud, that is), so the phrase still felt a little foreign coming out of his mouth, but holy shit, Patrick could totally get used to saying it. The softness of it perfectly mirrored the feeling of David: his sweaters, his smile, the feeling of his hands on Patrick’s hips. Boyfriend didn’t exactly encompass all that he felt for David, but it came pretty damn close.
The boyfriend in question continued to tease him a little more about his highly functional, but admittedly ugly shoes as he firmly lowers himself onto Patrick’s lap. Patrick teased David right back and as usual, they ended up kissing, wrapped up in each other as though every point of contact was essential for their survival. Patrick had long since lost count of the amount of kisses they’d shared since that fateful night in his car, but he knew without a doubt that this kiss, this perfect kiss that tasted of teasing and laughter and boyfriend was the best one yet.
It was a while later when they finally untangled themselves and started to clear up the store. When Patrick had successfully placed an unopened bottle of wine on the shelf where it belonged, he turned around to find David staring at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that, boyfriend?”
David scrunched up his face adorably. “Do you really have to call me your boyfriend in every sentence now?”
“Yep. You see, my boyfriend is exceptionally gorgeous, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be calling him my boyfriend whenever the opportunity presents itself. Unless you really don’t like it?” Secretly, Patrick desperately hoped that wasn’t the case. Now that boyfriend had left his mouth, he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop again.
“I never said I didn’t like it,” David said, soft all of a sudden. “I just- historically, people haven’t really wanted me like that? Whenever I would try to determine the relationship they would always leave, so this is just a lot right now.”
Patrick suddenly felt the strong urge to hug David, like he often did when hearing about David’s past. He wasn’t sure if that would be too much now, so instead he settled for stepping closer and resting his hands on David’s hips. “Of course I’m not going to leave you, David. I don’t know if you can tell, but I like you so damn much, I’m honoured that you would even want me to be your boyfriend.”
David pinched his lips together and threw his head back, as if trying to stop his emotions from overflowing. “Okay,” he finally said, letting a soft smile creep onto his face, “I guess you calling me your boyfriend isn’t exactly the worst thing in the world.”
“Well as long as it’s not the worst thing,” Patrick teased before leaning in to kiss David again. “Did you wanna come back to my place tonight?”
“That depends,” David grinned, a twinkle in his chocolate eyes, “what’s in it for me?”
Patrick pretended to consider it. “Hmm… how about if you stay over, your boyfriend will consider doing some extremely sexy things to you tonight.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Brewer, but I guess I have no choice but to spend some quality time with my boyfriend. You ready to lock up and go?”
They held hands all the way back to Ray’s, unwilling to let each other go even for a second. Patrick loved the feeling of David’s hand in his, loved the way David’s hands were bigger than his own but also extremely soft, loved the cool metal of his silver rings against his skin. In the past, he’d always thought holding hands was a bit cliché. In real life, he knew, it was a sweaty ordeal that just didn’t live up to his expectations. Privately he had suspected that most people were just pretending to like things like that, because there was just no way that people could just need to be in physical contact with their partner all the time.
It turned out that there were a lot of things that Patrick had wrongly considered impossible before meeting David Rose.
Now that he and David were getting more serious, Patrick knew that there were several aspects of his past that he was going to have to reconcile with. One of these days, he needed to respond to Rachel’s texts and give her the closure she so desperately wanted. He was also going to have to tell David about his past with Rachel, but now just wasn’t the right time. Their relationship was still so new, the foundations weren’t yet strong enough to handle something as big as a failed engagement, at least not without sending David straight into an anxious spiral. He would tell David, just… not yet.
Then there was the prospect of telling his parents, not just about his newfound sexuality but about David, too. Because that was something people did when they had a boyfriend, they called up their parents to say they had met someone and were rapidly falling in love.
Patrick was mostly sure his parents would at least be outwardly supportive of his sexuality, but would they really believe him? As far as they knew, Patrick excelled at meeting expectations, having never rebelled at all before blowing up his entire life a few months prior. It was clear that they thought that his breakup with Rachel was a temporary crisis, something that would be resolved by returning to the stability of the past. Unbeknownst to them, it was the pressure of their expectations that had driven him to the point of exploding in the first place.
If they could see Patrick now, would they understand that he’d had no choice but to come here? If they saw him and David together, would they see that Patrick had real romantic love in his life for the first time, instead of some feeble approximation? Or would they see Patrick’s queerness only as another nail in the coffin of the man they had always wanted him to be?
Because in a way, Patrick had changed drastically in the time since he’d moved to Schitt’s Creek. The old Patrick didn’t know what he deserved out of life, he would never have dared to create a life for himself like the one he had now. The old Patrick that existed back in his hometown didn’t know what happiness actually felt like, didn’t know how singularly joyful it would feel to be with another man. But just because he’d only just learned to recognise his queerness for what it was, didn’t mean it hadn’t always been there, and it didn’t make him a different person now.
One day, he’d work up the courage to tell them, and everyone else from his old life about the wonderful man that he got to call his boyfriend. But that seemed more like an in person conversation, not a bomb you dropped over the phone. And right now, all Patrick wanted was to keep David to himself anyway.
Not forever, of course. Just until he figured out how to tell people.
***
Patrick had always liked early mornings. The cool morning breeze and the quietness around him on a good morning hike had always made him feel as though he were alone in the world, and that maybe life could be good after all. Now that David was staying over at his place more often, the morning meant something completely different; the slivers of morning sun in his room shining upon his boyfriend’s sleeping form were a reminder that he didn’t have to face the world on his own anymore. He did have to face the opening shift at the store alone, but that didn’t bother him much.
Most mornings, Patrick would spend this time replenishing the stock, making small talk with the occasional customer coming in before starting work, or, in all honesty, daydreaming about David. Today, however, Patrick had found himself behind the counter, obsessively scrolling through the comments sections on the store’s Facebook page.
Much to David’s dismay, Patrick had declared that as well as an Instragram account, the store should have a Facebook page too. David kept insisting that Facebook was ‘extremely not on brand for them’ and ‘only sad moms and the elderly even use Facebook anymore’, until Patrick had teasingly reminded him that sad moms and the elderly made up over half of their customer base. There were many perks to having an active Facebook page, but one major downside was that Patrick’s mother – an avid Facebook user who did technically fall in the ‘sad mom’ category – could now see everything they posted.
Not that he didn’t want his mom to know about what he was doing, he did. He was proud of what he was doing in Schitt’s Creek, and he had always wanted his parents to be proud of him too. But with every comment, his mom reminded him that he was still hiding something from his parents, something so big that it could change his relationship with them forever.
So here he was, on a Wednesday morning, getting lost in his mother’s comments on every single post.
Rose Apothecary: Rose Apothecary has officially opened its doors! We would like to thank all of you who came to our grand opening! We’re very excited for whatever the future holds. [image of David and Patrick standing next to each other behind the register on opening day, both smiling]
Marcy Brewer: So proud of you, Patrick! Can’t wait to see it in person!
Rose Apothecary: In honour of back to school season coming up, Rose Apothecary will be offering buy one, get one half price on all our stationery products! All our stationery is handmade by artisans local to Elm County, so you’re getting the best quality for a great price. This offer will last until September 15th! [several images of assorted pens, notebooks, and other stationery items]
Marcy Brewer: 😻
Rose Apothecary: Had a great time at the Schitt’s Creek Asbestos Fest yesterday! You may even have recognised one of the star performers from our store 😉. If you would like to learn more about the efforts to make our town asbestos-free, go to asbestosisschitt.ca! [image of David, Patrick and Alexis in front of town hall after asbestos fest, David’s arm is around Patrick’s shoulders, all are smiling]
Marcy Brewer: Glad to see my sweet boy looking so happy!
“Well hello there, boyfriend.” Patrick looked up from his laptop, and there in the doorway stood David in all of his glory. He was clad in a Givenchy sweater (David had given Patrick a crash course in men’s fashion soon after they went into business together) and his signature white sunglasses, his hair perfectly coiffed like always. David walked over to the counter where Patrick stood and leaned in to give him a chaste good morning kiss.
“Mmm, hi boyfriend,” Patrick smiled into the kiss. Even days after the initial confession, calling David his boyfriend and hearing it echoed back was still just as revelatory to Patrick as it had been the first time. “I never thought I’d see you here so early.”
“Well, I got the sense that my business partner was on Facebook instead of working, so I thought I had better come in to keep him in line.”
“Sounds like a terrible business partner you’ve got there,” Patrick deadpanned, “especially because spending work hours monitoring engagement on social media isn’t something you would ever do.”
“I think you’ll find that as Branding Manager of Rose Apothecary, social media marketing actually falls well within the parameters of my job description,” David huffed. “For the Financial Manager, on the other hand, it most certainly does not. However, I will consider forgiving your improper use of company time if you were to get me my coffee from the café right now.”
Patrick couldn’t help but lean forward and press a soft kiss to David’s lips. “Your wish is my command,” he joked, although in a way it wasn’t really a joke, because Patrick would do just about anything if it would make David happy. “Would you like me to get you a pastry to go with it?”
***
When Patrick returned ten minutes later, two coffee cups and a bag of pastries in hand, David was on the phone with someone. Patrick placed David’s coffee in front of him and was about to head into the back when David’s voice stopped him.
“Oh wait, Mrs Brewer, Patrick just got back in, do you want me to get him on the phone?”
David was talking to his mom? Patrick hadn’t even spoken to his mom for longer than a few minutes since he’d left home, let alone on the phone. Was there something wrong back home? Why had his mom called the store rather than call him directly? What had David and his mom even been talking about, and oh god, what if David had told her about them? Just as Patrick’s mind started spiralling off in all directions, David pressed the phone into his hand. David smiled at him apologetically, then quietly slinked off into the back room, probably to give them some privacy.
“Patrick?” His mom’s familiar voice came from the phone.
“Hi mom,” Patrick breathed, not quite able to keep the fear out of his voice. “Is- is something wrong?”
“No, nothing is wrong,” she quickly reassured him.
“Oh. That’s good, I’m glad.” The awkwardness in his voice was excruciating to his own ears. Were the five months he’d been away really all it took for Patrick to forget how to have a conversation with her? “Um. Is there a reason you called?”
His mom sighed. “Not really…” Apparently, she’d forgotten how to talk to him, too. “I just- I worry about you, Patrick. We haven’t really spoken since you left and I guess I just wanted to call to make sure you were doing okay, and I know you’re probably busy right now so –“
“Mom,” Patrick cut his mom off. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. The store is quiet right now, so I have some time to chat, if you want.” When he still lived back home, he saw his mom at least once a week, if not more, and they would usually catch up on each other’s lives over tea. It struck Patrick that in not telling his mom about his new life, he’d been depriving her of one of her outlets too.
“Oh, good,” she said, relieved. “So, how’s the store doing?”
Patrick launched into telling her about his new everyday life as a business owner, from the quarterly sales projections to the stories of the more unique interactions he’d had with customers, and somehow almost every story seemed to circle back to the same thing: David. David, who was so smart and wonderful and had come up with the business model for the store. David, who had saved him from recommending completely the wrong kind of skincare an impossible amount of times. David, without whom none of this would have happened.
“So that business partner of yours is quite the character, isn’t he?” She chuckled.
Patrick smiled. “That he is.”
“He was every so polite when we spoke earlier, it sounds like you two work really well together! Also, I hope that you don’t mind me saying this, but he is very handsome! Now if I were thirty years younger…”
Patrick had never in his life wanted the floor to swallow him whole as much as he did now. “Oh my god, mom…” he warned her, hoping she would get the hint and back off.
“Now Patrick, just because I’m old now doesn’t mean I doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes!”
Patrick was certain that this must be how he was going to die, from hearing his mom talk about how hot his business-partner-slash-secret-boyfriend was.
“That’s not- it’s just-“ Patrick stammered, searching desperately for the words that would stop this nightmare.
“It’s just what, honey?”
“It’s weird because David is my boyfriend!” Patrick blurted out loudly, surprising even himself. He hadn’t meant to come out to his mom over the phone like this, but he supposed the cat was out of the bag now.
His mom was quiet for a few seconds. Patrick was just starting to wonder if his outburst had just fucked up his entire relationship with his mom, when suddenly she started to giggle uncontrollably.
“Wha- mom, you okay?” He asked cautiously, hoping that she was laughing for a good reason, rather than any of the thousands of terrible reasons she could be laughing right now.
“Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you, I just-“ she broke off, the sound of her laugh bright and clear. “I’m not laughing at you dating David, honey, he really does seem great, I was just surprised, not to mention horribly embarrassed by what I was saying about him.”
“Mm, you’re not the only one that’s embarrassed, mom.”
“Oh I don’t care about that. I carried you for nine months, embarrassing you is my right as your mother,” she joked, like she always did. “So, have you always known you were…?” Her voice was cautious, and Patrick could tell that she was trying her hardest not to say anything that would cause him to back off from her again. But he wouldn’t, not again.
“I’m gay, mom.” The words came to him so much easier now than they had just a few months ago. “And I didn’t know for a long time, not until I moved out here. It was never really quite right before, but being with David really put a lot of things in perspective for me.”
“I’m so glad you know now, Patrick. And I’m glad you told me. I really love you, you know that?” The way she said it, it felt like loving him was the easiest thing in the world to her, the same way loving David was starting to become the easiest thing for him.
“I love you too, mom.”
Several minutes later, Patrick’s mom had been thoroughly caught up on David and Patrick’s relationship, they said their goodbyes with a promise to talk again soon. As soon as the phone left Patrick’s hand, he went into the back to look for the one person he wanted to see right now, customer service be damned.
Patrick found David stretched out on the sofa in the stock room, phone in hand. The sofa had originally been purchased so they’d have somewhere to sit comfortably during their lunch breaks, but as their relationship had progressed and their desperate need for privacy worsened, the sofa had ended up seeing far more of them than they had originally planned.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working back here?”
David looked up from his phone with the express purpose of rolling his eyes at Patrick. “Those are bold words from the guy who spent most of the morning trolling Facebook.”
“I was maintaining our Facebook presence which is necessary for the success of our business!”
“How many times am I going to have to tell you that Facebook is never necessary?”
“That depends, how many times am I going to have to tell you how exactly tax write-offs work?” Patrick asked innocently.
David shook his head with disdain. “I still cannot believe that Stevie told you about that, the traitor.”
“Can’t you, though?”
“Fine, I can believe it, but I’ll have you know I do actually know how they work now. I think, anyway.”
At that, Patrick couldn’t resist kissing his gorgeous boyfriend any longer. He perched himself on David’s lap, threw his arms around his neck and pressed their lips together. Patrick ran his tongue along David’s bottom lip, and David let him in and met Patrick’s tongue with his own. They made out like that for a minute or two, much longer than they normally would have done during opening hours, but as Patrick had just come out to his mother, he figured they were allowed.
When they finally broke apart, David hummed contentedly. “Maybe I should slack off at work more often if it gets you to kiss me like that,” he said, his voice a little breathy.
“David, if I kissed you literally every time I wanted to, I don’t think our store would live to see another day.”
David wiggled happily. “Tell me more about how irresistible I am, please.”
Patrick took every opportunity to praise his incredibly hot boyfriend, especially when encouraged. “Mm David, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the spot behind David’s ear that Patrick had claimed as his own. He leaned back, so he could see David’s exact reaction to what he would say next. “Also, apparently you’re so irresistible that my mom might try to steal you from me?”
David’s eyes widened comically in horror, his hands flying towards his mouth. “Excuse me, what did you just say?”
Patrick grinned widely. “You heard me, David.”
“I was hoping I heard wrong,” David said primly. “That’s absolutely horrifying, oh my god.”
“Yeah. And to make things worse, she um, might not have known you’re my boyfriend? So now every time I recount the story of how I came out to my mother, I get to remember my mother saying that she would totally want to date you if she were thirty years younger.”
At that, David went quiet, his face still a little horrified, but mostly serious now. “You came out to your mom?” he asked, his voice small.
“Yeah,” Patrick breathed, the word catching in his throat on the way out. “I did.”
“And did it – are you good?”
Patrick nodded, his eyes filling up with tears. “Yeah, I’m good.” And with that, Patrick fell forwards into David’s waiting arms, crying tears of relief into the sweater of the person he loved most in the world. And in that moment, Patrick had never been better.
***
“So that business partner of yours is quite the character, isn’t he?”
“That he is.”
“He was every so polite when we spoke earlier, it sounds like you two work really well together! Also, I hope that you don’t mind me saying this, his sister is very pretty, you should ask her out!
“Oh my god, mom…”
“Now Patrick, I know you’re very busy with the store, but you’re still a catch, darling. Any girl would be lucky to date you.”