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When this relationship first began, it was a smart idea to keep things on the downlow. Though Pete’s parents likely would have supported them, Patrick’s family were clueless about his sexuality and Mikey thought it would be rather inconvenient to slap his mother with an “I actually have two boyfriends” immediately after she’d only just came to terms with both of her sons liking men.
So it was agreed no-one outside of close friends could know, and if anyone’s families visited, Pete and Mikey are a generous couple providing their good friend Patrick with a place to stay while he strives to start up his and Pete’s own record label.
It’s a solid cover story. No-one has ever questioned it, or commented on how long it’s taking for them to set it up, and they’ve gone years without their secret being discovered. Now, it’s not even about how unconventional it is. Patrick just thinks it would be awkward to bring it up after so long.
“So when we die you don’t want your grave to say beloved husband?” Pete always asks.
Patrick’s reply is the same every time. A monotone, “As if I’d ever marry you” followed by a high five from Mikey and a death glare from Pete. That’s the most in depth they’ve ever spoken about this subject.
Mikey’s mom is visiting today to give him some early birthday gifts, and the gravestone conversation ensues while Mikey arranges plans with her. He schedules her arrival for 2PM because she always shows up two hours early and everyone knows Mikey can’t hold a steady conversation before noon. Fuck that.
He frantically vacuums and blackmails Pete with $15 to cook a satisfying lunch, knowing the money is conveniently the price of a hoodie he’s had his eye on for the past month. Patrick’s job is to hide every photo that depicts them as lovers, as well as all the dumb-but-cute love notes Pete leaves lying around. It proves harder than anticipated because it takes him an hour to find four, but Pete remembers writing nine recently. It’s going to be a long morning.
Luck is on their side, though. Patrick recovers every letter and shoves them in the bedside drawer, the living-room is somewhat presentable, and the oven beeps just as the doorbell rings.
“Four portions. Bingo! Does your mom like salmon? She better.”
Mikey dismisses Pete with a wave of his hand and unlocks the door. He smiles wide at his mom and hugs her, guiding her inside and almost shutting the door until something prevents him.
Someone, he realises when he locks eye contact with his brother, and he groans loudly without considering how rude it comes across as.
Gerard understands. “You didn’t cook enough food, did you?” He laughs, his suspicions confirmed when Mikey nods and suppresses his own laughter.
“Pete’s fault.”
“Always is.” Gerard pushes past and drapes his coat over one of the dining chairs. He grabs Patrick and traps him in a bone crushing hug. “My favorite boy.”
“Can’t relate,” Patrick murmurs. Gerard kisses his forehead and turns to Pete.
“Hi,” Pete says awkwardly, smiling between Gerard and his mom. “Uh, welcome. You can sit down and I’ll give you food.”
By opting for smaller portions, Pete manages to divide everything so that all five of them can eat. Throughout the meal, small talk about Mikey’s birthday plans ensues. It’s relatively simple until his mother suggests going to the movies the week after his birthday. She can only do Saturday, and Mikey goes to accept before Patrick kicks him and he remembers that fuck, he and Patrick booked a restaurant that night.
“Can’t do Saturday,” he confesses. “Date night.”
“Isn’t Pete is in New York that week?”
And now Mikey regrets pinning the calendar above the dining table when he notices PW NYC written in block capitals.
“Oh, yeah,” he laughs nervously and is determined to ignore Patrick’s sad eyes when he says, “Must’ve heard the date wrong. I’ll be there.”
Patrick stares at his hands and Pete swiftly changes the subject. Mikey sighs and nudges Patrick’s foot with his own, hoping it offers some semblance of comfort. This sucks.
~
When Patrick is anxious, he withdraws. When Pete is anxious, he’ll find a way to speak non-stop even if you remove his vocal chords and tape his mouth shut. And the longer Gerard and his mom are around, the more obvious it becomes to Mikey that his boyfriends’ anxiety levels are hitting the roof.
Patrick awkwardly lingers from room to room, never staying away for too long but never making an attempt to fit in either. Pete is overly dramatic with his role of monogamous boyfriend and constantly calls Mikey increasingly cringey nicknames. It’s strange, but at least his mom thinks it’s normal.
But when Pete calls him “angel cupcake baby”, Mikey knows Gerard will never let him live this down. He’s already not-so-subtly changing Mikey’s phone contact name.
Patrick has what Pete calls a pathological need for affection, although Pete is infinitely more desperate, but that doesn’t mean Patrick will cope easily with essentially being the fifth wheel. Especially when Pete panics and stupidly invites them to stay the night after Mikey’s mom questions why Mikey’s lockscreen is a photo of Pete and Patrick kissing his cheeks.
So now they’ve got to keep this act up for twenty-four hours. Mikey did not sign up for this.
“What the hell?” The second he has Pete alone he grips his shirt collar and glares down at him. “That’s not your call!”
“She’s getting suspicious!”
“Then why keep her here?!” Mikey shouts and releases Pete before putting his head in his hands.
“Oh... I see your point. Oh, God. I’ve fucked up! We can’t uninvite them, can we?!”
“Of course not, that’s rude! Just... go back in and keep them occupied. Only talk about comics, hair dye, or Gossip Girl. And for my mom-.”
“Did not expect that list to only cover Gerard. Gossip Girl? Really?”
“What? It’s a good show! You know what... don’t even talk to my mom. I’ll only be gone for a few minutes. Go.”
Pete retreats into the living-room and once the door shuts, Mikey sprints upstairs into the spare room. Patrick will definitely be here; Ace is kept here and the lights “dim according to our moods”, so he says. Today, the lights are off.
“Hey ‘Rick.” Mikey stares at Patrick, who is gloomily sprawled upside down on the armchair. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Patrick smiles. “Except my date I’ve been planning for weeks is cancelled and I have to pretend we’re just friends.”
Mikey kneels and kisses Patrick’s nose, because kissing his lips while he’s upside down would be hard. Laughter echoes from downstairs and Patrick huffs.
“It’s only one night,” Mikey says. “You’ll survive. You survived your business trip without us and you survived the week I stayed at Gee’s. This is nothing.”
But it’s a big deal to Patrick. “Why can’t I be the boyfriend and Pete be the friend?”
“Because I’ve known Pete longer and my mom caught us together when we were seventeen. It’d be awkward if he were the friend, right?”
“It’d add drama.”
“There’s enough drama in this house.” Mikey laughs and trails his fingers along Patrick’s neck. “Come downstairs before Pete causes chaos with his inability to have conversations. Tell my mom about your fish.”
Patrick watches Ace for a few seconds before his eyes fall upon Mikey’s lips. “Kiss me.”
“If you get up.”
Patrick complies and almost falls off the chair trying to sit upright. They kiss slow and gentle, Patrick relishing in what’s probably his last opportunity to do this until tomorrow. He pulls away and this time he smiles with his eyes. It’s a huge improvement and Mikey kisses his hands.
“Want me to bring Pete up here?”
“Nah,” Patrick says. “He’ll get all dramatically sad.”
“You were upside down on a chair in a dark room, ‘Rick,” Mikey responds and pulls him towards the stairs.
“At least I don’t write poetry.”
“Fair,” Mikey laughs and fixes his hair in the mirror. Then, they force themselves to exit their peaceful bubble and re-enter the living-room.
~
Things go remarkably well for three people concealing their relationship. They all watch a movie and Pete lies against Mikey on the loveseat while Patrick sits on the sofa between Gerard and his mom, ignoring Gerard’s attempts to annoy him. They go to a restaurant and though it’s Patrick’s turn to ride shotgun while Mikey drives, it makes sense for Mikey’s only boyfriend to sit next to him. Once they return home and do their own thing, Patrick ensures his ‘own thing’ is strictly carried out without Pete or Mikey.
Basically, they’re realistic as fuck. They’re good at acting ‘normal’ and Gerard is keeping quiet too, invalidating Pete’s claims that Gerard is always out to get him.
(Little does Pete know, Mikey has had six ‘serious talks’ with Gerard over the years about hiding the relationship, and all six talks have ended with a threat to dump Gerard’s body in the ocean if he screws this up).
Sleeping arrangements are the last thing on the agenda, and once nighttime rolls around, Mikey thinks he has this in the bag.
He leads his mother inside the “spare room” and is weirdly thankful that Pete fucked him three consecutive times on this bed two days ago, because they had to wash the sheets and beforehand they hadn’t been washed for months. His mom is always vocal about how fresh bedsheets = a healthy mind. At least she’ll think he lives by that rule.
The Way’s exchange goodnights while Pete lies in bed and Patrick brushes his teeth. Mikey brings Gerard downstairs, not feeling guilty about him sleeping on the sofa because he’s the same guy who’s slept on floors and sidewalks and inside a car trunk multiple times, so this is basically a 4 star hotel. 5 if there were a Star Wars blanket, but Mikey hasn’t got time to hunt for his, so Gerard has to accept Pete’s Hello Kitty blanket that he bought “ironically”.
“G’night, Gee. Don’t steal my coffee. I’ve counted every grain and I’ll know.”
“I sadly believe that,” Gerard’s voice oozes sarcasm. “Goodnight. You should tell mom about your relationship. Patrick’s sad.”
“It’s only for one night,” Mikey echoes his earlier assurance.
“And where is he going to sleep? You gave mom the spare room, idiot.”
Mikey swallows and stares at the ground. It hadn’t occurred to him that he’d forgotten a place for Patrick.
“I guess he could just sleep next to me and Pete.”
“Pete and I,” Gerard corrects. “And no, she always gets up ridiculously early. She’d notice.”
“It’s less suspicious than someone who lives here sleeping on a sofa. It’ll be fine, I’ll tell her he gave her his bed and had no issue sleeping with us.”
“You have to realise how that sounds,” Gerard laughs and curls up on the sofa, hinting that he wants to stop talking and sleep.
Mikey scowls at him and then hugs him. “Hate you. Night.”
“Love you too. Give Patrick a kiss for me.”
“Never,” Mikey smiles and switches the light off. Darkness surrounds him and he inhales quietly, enjoying the peace.
But he has to go upstairs. When he does Pete is already asleep, but Patrick is loitering in the hallway, looking utterly lost. It’s depressing, how he can look so lost in his own home.
“Where should I sleep?” Sadness laces his voice and he yawns. Is that the reason for his watery eyes?
Mikey takes his hand and leads him into the bedroom. “In here.” He gestures for him to go into bed first. “I doubt she’ll find out. We just need to get up early.”
Patrick nods, too tired to think rationally. He crawls under the covers and snuggles against Pete, relaxing when Mikey’s arms wrap around his waist. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Goodnight,” Mikey whispers. He presses closer against Patrick, relieved to have him here, and falls asleep to the rhythm of his quiet breathing.
~
So. Getting up early was a bust. Mikey’s thoughts struggle to formulate until a solid twenty minutes after he opens his eyes. Pete is absent from the bed, but Patrick remains asleep and Mikey doesn’t realise that it’s fucking noon until Pete appears at the doorway and asks what he wants for lunch.
“Fuck.” Mikey pushes himself up and the room spins. He curses again and kicks the covers over to Patrick. “Coffee.”
“Knew you’d say that.” Pete smiles proudly and presses a warm mug into Mikey’s hands. “Update on The Crisis: your mom is confused about Patrick being here but I just told her what Gerard said.”
The vagueness isn’t comforting. Mikey sips his coffee. “And what did Gee say?”
“That ‘Rick gave her his bed. Then she asked why you called his bedroom the spare room and we panicked, so now Gerard is talking about every hair color he’s had. It’s... painful, but she’s distracted.”
Mikey hums and downs his coffee in four gulps, moaning softly and holding the mug towards Pete, silently requesting a refill.
“No. Wake ‘Rick and come downstairs. They’re leaving in a couple of hours and they’re your family. You don’t wanna miss them. We’ve pulled our fake conventional relationship off!”
“We still aren’t conventional,” Mikey states nonchalantly and Pete frowns at him. “We’re guys.”
“Well, we’re the conventional version of unconventional, then. Come on.”
By the time Patrick wakes up and Mikey has enough caffeine in his system to function, half an hour has passed and the conversation downstairs is now about how much Pete would suit dark blue hair. Gerard disagrees but Pete takes his opinion as light teasing. What he can’t ignore, however, is Patrick’s sadness. It’s obvious he’s trying to downplay it, but it’s written all over his face and Pete has to ask.
“You okay?”
“Mhm.” Patrick’s response is too quick to be believable. “Gonna go get painkillers. Headache.”
He speeds towards the hallway, followed closely by Pete, who claims he’s going to help. It’s not suspicious. Hopefully he’ll find out what’s actually wrong.
Mikey does his absolute best to occupy his family for the time being and it’s a surprisingly simple task. Gerard fetches some snacks, Mikey discusses his job at the local bookstore, his mom leaves to go to the bathroom, Patrick screams-
Wait, no, that’s not normal. Mikey and Gerard worriedly glance at each other. Perhaps his ‘headache’ is real?
But then Mikey’s mom rushes into the living-room, her face the picture of rage, and Mikey hasn’t even stood up when she angrily whispers, “Pete’s cheating on you.”
“What?” Both of her sons say in unison and confusion flashes across her face when she observes how weirdly calm they are.
“He and Patrick were kissing in the hallway.”
Mikey frowns and hopes it conveys heartbreak, because truthfully he doesn’t care. Gerard stands next to him emotionlessly.
“Gerard, I never thought I’d say this,” she seethes, “but you have my full permission to kill him. I’ll take the blame.”
Oh. Right. Gerard is overprotective and cares too much. If this were real, Pete would be unconscious already.
“Yeah,” Gerard stammers. “I should... do that.”
He storms into the hallway, depicting anger as authentically as he can while Mikey chases after him, concerned that he’ll take the confidentiality of this relationship too seriously and actually murder Pete. It wouldn’t be surprising, but it sure would suck.
“Verysorryforthis,” he apologizes in the one breath before grabbing Pete by the neck and throwing him against the banister. The force of the collision makes Mikey wince.
“What the fuck?! That hurts, let go of me!” Pete cries out. Patrick is conveniently nowhere to be found. He must have left after being caught. Does Pete know what’s happening?
“You kissed Patrick! That’s what!” Gerard yells and for good measure, he throws what’s intended to be soft but is actually a really rough punch, because he doesn’t recognize his own strength.
“Oh, uh, sorry?!” Pete gasps and clutches Gerard’s arm, weakly prying his hand away from his neck. Once Gerard realises he’s technically choking Pete, he releases his hold and supports Pete while he staggers forward.
“Mikey,” his mom interrupts, “You don’t look bothered. What’s going on? Has this happened before? You deserve better than this!”
Mikey stutters for a response while his mother screams in Pete’s face about how he’s “lowlife scum” who will “never find anyone as good as Mikey.” Her ranting lasts for what feels like forever, until she slaps Pete hard and Mikey decides he finally has to take one for the team, because Pete has taken multiple in the form of hits.
“Stop it!” He shouts and everyone freezes. He rests his hand over where Pete was slapped and takes a deep breath. “He’s not cheating.”
Gerard mumbles an “oh boy,” from behind him and Mikey closes his eyes. He can do this. He can be the first to reveal this secret. It’s no big deal.
“Pete and I are dating.... and Pete and Patrick are also dating... and so are me and Patrick.”
“Patrick and I.” Gerard quietly interrupts. Is he crying?
His mother glances between Mikey and Pete, trying to process what the fuck she’s just heard.
“It’s the three of us together,” he continues. “Like, together-together. And it’s weird but it works. We work. It’s good.”
Pete exhales shakily and drags his fingernails along his wrists until Mikey separates his hands and holds them. The floorboards creak upstairs and he wonders if Patrick is listening.
“I love them both the same,” Mikey is rambling now, anxious at the prolonged silence. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.” He catches Pete’s eye and Pete smiles. “They’re both great,” his voice cracks and Gerard’s arms hug him tightly. “I never said anything ‘cause it’s weird.”
“You’ve always been weird,” Gerard jokes. It doesn’t help, but at least he’s responding.
“Why is he the only one talking?” Mikey’s breathing gets shakier and he fights back tears. “Someone say something.” If no-one does, he’s going to break down. The hallway is too small and he can’t breathe.
“Okay,” his mom says slowly and that word eradicates most of Mikey’s panic. She doesn’t sound mad. “Okay. Why don’t... why don’t we go into the living-room and talk about this. Bring Patrick. Where is he?”
“Upstairs.” Pete rubs his throat. “I’ll get him.”
He returns with Patrick in record time and they meet the Way’s in the living-room as planned. They sit with Mikey on the sofa, collectively watching his mother. Gerard remains standing with his arms clasped in front of him, and he toys nervously with one of his rings.
Nothing is said for a long time. Pete has one hand on Mikey’s thigh and focuses on the TV, and Patrick is hugging his knees and biting his nails. Mikey is between them and his mother stares at the trio, her confusion still evident.
Eventually, it’s Gerard who breaks the tension.
“Why don’t you tell her how it all began? Just... start from there.” He suggests gently. Mikey would rather die but explaining is the most logical thing to do, so he sucks in a breath and decides to start talking.
“Three years ago. Pete and I were already together for like, five years. We first met ‘Rick at some bar...”
~
Pete was on his fifth shot of vodka when a loud commotion next to him captured his attention. Fights weren’t uncommon at this bar, but an underage teenager caught with fake ID was new.
“It’s not fake!” The boy’s voice was very soft and he inherited young facial features. No wonder he got caught.
“ID says you’re 39. Nice try, kid.” The bouncer restrained the boy’s arms and shoved him forwards, presumably to kick him out.
Suddenly, Pete was distracted by lips against his neck and another glass being pressed into his hands. He’d have to choose between his boyfriend or this very entertaining argument. This was the only time he’d ever refused Mikey and alcohol.
“Babyy, get off me, shit’s goin’ down!” He pointed in the direction and slurred a jumbled explanation that made no sense. Mikey didn’t care for the fight. He shut off Pete’s rambling until he overheard the boy in question begging to find his friend, who apparently had his wallet. The bouncer didn’t believe him and was extremely vocal about not caring if the boy ended up stranded, so long as he wasn’t in this bar. He had disobeyed the law, after all.
“Pete, kid’s got no money. We should get him a cab.”
“Bitch, I’m broke too! Not all of us are employed!” Pete huffed and downed some of his drink. When he put the glass down, Mikey was already halfway across the bar, following the bouncer and the kid.
He waited until they were outside and the bouncer had left before making his move. The fact that the boy was crying and pacing in distress meant he was probably truthful about his story.
“Hey,” Mikey said and tapped him on the shoulder. “I’m Mikey. What’s wrong?”
The boy introduced himself as Patrick before stammering the story Mikey already knew, and he was on the brink of tears while Mikey rummaged through the cash in his pocket. He counted it up and then dialled a taxi company’s number he knew by heart, all the while promising himself he’s doing a good thing. Paying $25 for a stranger’s cab when you work in a bookstore on minimum wage is soul-destroying.
“Okay, Patrick. Here’s your booking reference and cash. Give him your address and don’t fall asleep. Also, I’m putting my number in your phone.”
“Why?”
Mikey typed the number and handed the phone back. “So I know you’re safe. Text me once you’re home. Just to give me peace of mind.”
Patrick wouldn’t stop thanking him and Mikey remained outside until the cab arrived. Once Patrick was gone, Mikey closed his eyes and silently mourned his empty pockets. Looks like his broke boyfriend had to somehow pay for their drinks now.
~
“I wasn’t that upset!” Patrick’s cheeks flush red with embarrassment. “You’re exaggerating.”
“Can you stop calling me broke? I don’t need reminders of that dark time.” Pete shudders to express his supposed terror. Gerard laughs at him.
“I mean, that is how we met.” Mikey says defensively and glances at his mom. She’s still weary and it makes him uncomfortable.
Pete is anxious, too. He cracks his knuckles and sighs before declaring that he’s going to take over the story telling.
“That’s just how we met. She wants to know how this started.”
He rubs his hands together and Mikey sinks back into the sofa, mentally preparing for the most dramatic retelling of a relationship in history.
“When Patrick messaged Mikey, Mikey responded and kicked up a conversation. When I got jealous he gave me Patrick’s number and said we could share him-“
“That’s not what I said.”
“Shut up, this is my story! Anyways. Fast forward six glorious months...”
~
All of the jealousy vanished just by having Patrick’s number, although he and Pete rarely messaged. It felt nice to know that Patrick knew of his existence. At least he was involved.
Things were normal. Mikey worked and came over to Pete’s family’s home afterwards, and more often than not he’d spend the night. It was a fantastic set up and it felt more comfortable than Mikey’s house. Things were still unbearably awkward around his mom, even though The Incident was almost five years ago.
One day, Mikey called Pete during his lunch hour. It was one of those rare times when he sounded enthusiastic, and Pete was intrigued.
“Guess who came into the store today!”
“Uh... someone important?”
“Patrick!” Mikey sounded excited and Pete didn’t understand why. It was nice to hear, though. “I invited him over for dinner with us. He reads the same stuff as me! Order pizza to my address for 6PM. Don’t be late. Love you.”
The line disconnected and Pete lay back on his ‘writing rug’, somewhere he’d recently been spending most of his days. He pondered while doodling in his notebook why he, a protective, paranoid boyfriend, didn’t hate his lover bringing another man to their dinner. It felt normal. It felt right.
Dinner began with Pete arriving forty minutes late and the pizza turning up even later. Mikey seemed his usual stoic self, smiling only when Pete kissed him, but there was a shine in his eyes that Pete knew meant happiness. When he entered the dining room and saw the kid from the bar nursing a large glass of coke, it quickly became clear why Mikey was unusually upbeat.
“Don’t leave me, but he’s really cute.”
“Dude, I know.” Mikey rolled his eyes and stared directly at Patrick. “Not fair.”
Just then, Patrick noticed their presence and smiled at them. “Oh, hi! You’re Pete, right?”
Pete took a deep breath and exchanged a look with Mikey before pulling out a dining chair.
“Yep. That’s me. How’s it going?”
~
“Patrick!” Gerard loudly cuts Pete off and marches over to Patrick. “How the fuck did you not hear them? Pete has never whispered! Never!”
“That’s a lie,” Pete objects.
“Debatable,” Patrick replies. “And I don’t know. Maybe I had headphones in.”
Patrick discusses other possibilities of why he didn’t hear while Pete tries to continue his story to no avail. Only when Mikey’s mother speaks for the first time does silence fall across the room.
“Weren’t you bothered that Pete thought he was... well, cute?”
“No,” Mikey says immediately. “We tell each other every time we see someone we like. Patrick is the only time we’ve ever agreed with each other.”
“So he’s like, special.” Gerard whispers dramatically, jazz hands and all. Patrick groans and tells him to sit down. “Out of curiosity,” Gerard shouts once he’s back in the corner. “Any of you ever liked me?”
“I’m your brother, Patrick would sell you to the mafia for $3 and Pete has told me a million times I’m prettier than you,” Mikey says. He’s concerned because they’re way off topic, and his mother might decide to leave. He can’t do this without everyone’s help. “Can we get back to the point?”
“I’m offended and I hate all of you.” Gerard glares between them. “And yes. Pete, continue.”
“Gladly.” Pete grins widely. “I’ll skip to the chase.”
“It’s ‘cut’ to the chase,” Gerard mumbles.
“Is this your story?! No! I will skip to the chase and you will pay attention! A couple of months after ‘Rick turned eighteen...”
~
Visits involving the three of them became routine for the first six months after the bar incident. Then, they broke their dinner routine by having their first sleepover as a trio. Funnily enough, it was Pete who suggested it.
It took place at his home and Patrick slept on the sofa after he and the couple binged an entire TV show they found in the DVD player. Mikey threw a blanket over his sleeping body before dragging Pete upstairs to his bedroom. They totally didn’t fuck. Not at all.
Then, sleepovers became the routine. Before long, they happened every second Saturday, alternating between Pete’s house and Mikey’s house, and they always ordered pizza. Things got complicated when both families questioned why the couple were spending so much time with a younger guy, but Pete was an expert at lying and Mikey ignored any questions he was asked.
Everything was great. Pete soon landed a high paying job in the city and once Mikey received a much needed pay rise, they bought a house together.
Life really changed after that. Pete and Mikey went from seeing each other four times a week at most to spending almost every minute together, and it was pure bliss. They could hang out constantly and play bass until 4AM and never get in trouble for ordering takeout three days in a row. They totally spent their free time doing productive things. Totally weren’t fucking. Nope.
One of the best things was Patrick visiting nearly every day. Their friendship strengthened and Pete even bought a fold-up bed for the spare room so he was no longer sleeping on the sofa. Life was amazing, and it only improved from there.
A couple of months after Patrick’s eighteenth, Pete suggested they drink in the house because most countries have low-as-fuck drinking ages, and in this house there were no rules. They did shots and three rounds of a drinking game until Mikey could barely see with his glasses on, and Patrick spent ten minutes laughing at the radiator before managing to articulate what was funny.
Pete was determined to stay somewhat sober because someone had to remember the night. He switched from vodka to water and soon forced the others to do the same, because it was around 3AM when he realised he wanted to have a serious talk with the two of them about multiple scenarios he couldn’t get out of his head.
It took a while for everyone to be on the same level. Patrick retreated upstairs while Pete began the painfully long task of sobering Mikey up, and he considered himself very lucky that Patrick was still awake two hours later. The universe was on his side for once.
“Look at him,” he whined to Mikey as they stood at the doorway, watching Patrick on the bed playing on his phone. “Don’t leave me but I like him.”
Though he spoke in a joking manner, the statement held lots of truth and he was stunned when Mikey smiled instead of getting upset. His emotions are heightened when he’s intoxicated, and had Pete admitted he liked anyone else Mikey likely would have taken a nervous breakdown.
But it turned out he felt the same.
“I know. He’s just a kid but I’m kind of in love with him.”
“Same!” Pete shouted and was so overjoyed he didn’t notice Patrick was watching them until said boy spoke.
“I’m not a kid. You guys aren’t quiet,” is all he said. The couple silently braced themselves for an angry rant about them being freaks for discussing their shared interest for someone, and Mikey’s heartbeat was so erratic he thought he was going to die.
“What did you hear?” Pete asked in a small voice.
“That you both like me, for some reason. Kinda weird. I dig it, though. Never had two people into me at once.” He was laughing nervously and his cheeks were rosy. Pete wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.
“Uh, we’re sorry,” he apologized. “We just-.”
“I like you guys.” Patrick interrupted and gave the couple no time to process that statement before elaborating. “And I hate it ‘cause you’re together. And it’s not like I want one and the other is preventing me. I want both. I don’t have a preference. You both make me laugh, you’re both on the same wavelength, you’re both nice. It’s weird. But I like you both.”
The three of them glanced between each other. Where would they go from here? This was an interesting outcome none of them anticipated. Hell, Pete half expected Patrick to throw him out of his own home, for fucks sake.
“Do you, uhm...” Pete trailed off and was conscious of how strangely dry his throat was. “Is it like, you want to sleep with us? ‘Cause I’m down if Mikey’s down.” Mikey nodded to confirm but Patrick was already shaking his head.
“Oh, no. No. I mean, like, I don’t know, cuddling or kissing or whatever. I’d like that. Like, romance stuff. If that’s... okay?”
Pete was already halfway across the room, ready to comply, but Mikey tugged his arm and asked to quickly talk to him. They both apologized and stepped out of the room. Once they reached the end of the upstairs hallway, Pete spoke.
“An eighteen year old who doesn’t want to sleep with two hot-as-hell guys.” He gestured to himself. “Why do you always attract strange people?”
“Don’t know. I wouldn’t bring it up unless he does first.” Mikey shrugged. “I’m not here to discuss that, though. We need to realise what we’re about to do.”
“Cuddle with a cutie?”
“Well, yes. But if you’re as serious as I am about this... things will change big time. We’re gonna be even more frowned upon. We won’t be able to tell our families, and it could end really badly for everyone involved if you or I get jealous.”
“Mikeyway, you offend me. I literally watched you teach him how to give hickeys last month and I was on board the whole time. Jealousy is dead in this house.”
“Okay...” Mikey blinked and crossed his arms. “Rules. If at any point you or I want out, the entire thing is called off immediately. I refuse to give up my side of the bed. He’s tiny and young so he doesn’t get to dominate me. If you leave me for him I will rip out your veins and strangle you with them.”
Pete laughed but stopped as soon as he saw the sincerity on Mikey’s face. “Fuck, dude. Okay. My rules are just you give us equal attention, no pets, and he uses his own hair products.”
Pete’s list was oddly specific but Mikey shook his hand anyways. They now had a deal, and they weren’t worried at all. They trusted each other enough to know the likelihood of things going south was very minimal.
“So, love.” Pete paused for effect. “You down?”
“I’m down.” Mikey was grinning. “Fuck yeah.”
“Great! Let’s go cuddle!”
Patrick never slept in the spare room again.
~
The atmosphere is unbearably tense and Pete has nothing else to say, so everyone silently awaits Mikey’s mom’s reaction. The fear is suffocating. Maybe she’ll still accept and love her son... or she’ll be so enraged she’ll never want to see him again. Fuck, Pete’s mind is spiralling. The longer no words are said, the more negative he predicts the outcome. No wonder Mikey freaked out at the silence when this was first revealed.
Patrick’s hands are clasped over Mikey’s left hand and he’s gripping onto Mikey like he’s scared to lose him. They could lose him, because although his mother doesn’t have legal authority over who he spends his life with, she could manipulate him into leaving and never returning...
Pete instinctively leans against him. He doesn’t want to lose Mikey either.
“So,” she begins and Mikey holds his breath. “What did Pete and Patrick’s families say?”
“They don’t know,” Mikey whispers, voice catching in his throat. “None of our families know, except Gee. But he doesn’t count.”
This alone elicits a new, calmer response from his mother. “I thought I was the only one who didn’t know.”
Mikey shakes his head and squeezes Patrick’s hand. “Nothing personal. As ‘Rick always says, it’s honestly at the point where it’d be awkward to reveal that we’ve actually been together for the past three and a half years. It’s been so long.”
“Would you have told me eventually had I not found out?”
Mikey hesitates and stares at the floor. He isn’t sure how to answer. He wants to say yes – should say yes – but that’s only because he now knows she won’t scream at him. If things were still in the dark, would he have the courage to bring them to light?
“I don’t know,” he admits quietly. “It’s easier to say nothing.”
“You’re hiding a huge part of your life. Is it really worth it?”
The last thing Mikey expected is his mother explaining why he shouldn’t hide this. He does agree – it’s hard to pretend the relationship doesn’t exist – but coming out is tough on its own. Adding two boyfriends into the mix is a whole other level of terrifying. Why put himself through that when they’re coping fine with secrecy?
Well, they’re sort of coping. Patrick hasn’t cheered up yet and Pete is always begging to post photos from holidays and dates onto social media. It gives Gerard whiplash having to fake oblivion around his family, and Mikey had to cancel his date with Patrick because speaking up meant blowing their cover.
Okay. Maybe they should tell people.
“Hiding is worth it,” Mikey says. But the benefits of coming out outweighs the negative consequences. “It’s shit, though.”
“You’re hurting yourself more by hiding it. Once you tell people, it’s over. Not saying anything drags out the worry.”
That’s fair. Although the circumstances weren’t ideal, perhaps it’s a blessing that Pete and Patrick were caught together, because it’s lead to Mikey learning the full extent of his mom’s supportiveness. She’s very talented at catching people in the act and ending their secrecy. That is how he and Pete first came out, after all.
Mikey nods and locks eye contact with her for the first time since this morning. Her eyes are warm and glowing. She isn’t mad.
After another long silence, Pete speaks up. “Does this mean I can tell my family?”
Patrick and Mikey communicate solely through facial expressions and when Mikey raises his eyebrows, Patrick turns to Pete. “I’m not out to my family, and yours always make Christmas Facebook posts and upload every photo of people they can find. They’d expose me.”
“Well, if they don’t get their hands on photos of us actively being lovers, is it a problem?”
“I guess not...” Patrick shrugs and then sighs. “Fine, do it. But if you fuck up I will drown you, shave my head, and move to Hungary under a fake alias.”
Mikey’s mom frowns, alarmed that someone as sweet as Patrick can hit out with that threat so casually. It’d be funny if she knew the frequency of Patrick’s empty-but-graphic murder threats, Mikey thinks, and then he realises she can know, because she knows about them, and that means he can tell her everything she’s missed over the years.
When Pete and Patrick go into the kitchen to discuss coming out in more depth, Mikey finally feels brave enough to hug his mom and he cries against her. It’s embarrassing and he hates himself for it, but he can’t control it. Gerard cries a little, too, and it reassures Mikey because at least he has a reason. Gerard is just an emotional mess.
That night, he waves his family off as they drive out the street. Patrick is stood against him, hugging him to preserve body heat because it’s freezing outside and he regrets agreeing to see them off. Pete would be here, but he’s been typing on his phone non-stop for the past hour and Mikey is scared to question it.
When the door shuts, Patrick hugs Mikey tightly. “I’m so proud of you!”
“Are you as shocked as I am that everything worked out so well?” Mikey asks while wriggling free from the hug. He needs confirmation that he’s not overanalyzing this.
“Yeah! She was furious when she saw us. When Gerard started throwing Pete around the hallway I thought they were gonna kill us both. I watched the whole thing from upstairs.”
Mikey smiles. So the creaking floorboards were caused by Patrick.
He kisses Patrick’s forehead, followed by his lips, and then he sets off to separate Pete from his phone. They have 24 hours worth of attention to give Patrick in compensation for the day he was forced to live without. There’s no time to waste.
They locate Pete in the bedroom, upside down on the bed with one of the pillows on the floor. A half-empty bowl of pretzels rests between his legs and he’s humming as he types. How the fuck did he discover Mikey’s secret stash of snacks?
“They’re mine.” Mikey snatches the bowl before Pete can react. He slowly eats one to tease him and Pete scowls at him.
Patrick, the voice of reason, reminds Mikey why they’re here – distracting Pete from his phone. It’s surprisingly easy. All Patrick has to do is kiss him and whine about how sad he’s been, and suddenly the phone is face down on the mattress and Pete is hugging Patrick like he’ll die otherwise.
Problem solved. Mikey eats another pretzel before setting the bowl on the nightstand and heading towards the door. He intends to lie on the sofa and read a book he “borrowed” from his store, and then he’ll decide what’s for dinner.
But, of course, Pete disrupts his plans. “Hey, Mikes?”
Mikey sighs. “Your pretzels are on the night-“
“Can we video call my parents and tell them? It’ll be easier than texting. I’ve been practicing but can’t articulate it right. And if they get judgmental I can hang up and ignore them for the rest of my life.”
That sounds a bit drastic, but Mikey isn’t going to police Pete’s methods of telling his family when both of Mikey’s coming-outs were a result of someone else finding out first. Pete is lucky to have a choice, and if video calling is what he wants then so be it.
“Sure.” He returns to the bed and lies next to him. “Right now?”
Pete goes to nod, but one glare from Patrick quickly changes his mind. “No,” he says, scratching the back of his neck and reaching for a pretzel. “Maybe not tonight.”
“If you really want to, you can,” Patrick says slowly and grabs the pretzel from Pete. Pete is so focused on his words that the theft goes unnoticed. “I just... want longer to think about my side of things.”
Pete reaches for a second pretzel, clueless about Patrick stealing one. “I’ll leave it until another time.”
Mikey quietly observes, wondering if he can leave. With the way Pete keeps staring at him, his presence must be significant, but he isn’t sure why.
“You don’t have to.” Patrick sounds abnormally worried and his fear contradicts his words. Clearly, he does want Pete to wait. Mikey sincerely hopes Pete catches onto that.
He does. The second Patrick diverts eye contact it clicks with Pete, who nudges him and leans in closer. "Listen,” he speaks softly. “Mikey didn't have an option to back out today but I do, and more importantly, you do. I'd love to tell my family but that's old news. You’ve never liked the idea of coming out. I don’t want to force you. I'll wait another three years if needed. As long as you're happy."
Pete’s maturity impresses Mikey, considering five minutes ago his heart was set on not hiding their relationship. Now, Patrick appears much more relaxed, though his effort to withhold eye contact indicates something is still bothering him.
"What about your happiness?” He queries.
"We could be homeless in an alleyway, seconds away from death, but as long as we’re together I'd be the happiest man alive. It'll be difficult to keep hiding, but we'll make it work." Mikey smiles at Pete's confidence. "We always make it work. That's why we work."
He engulfs Patrick in a hug and creates space for Mikey to join. With their early days fresh in Mikey's mind, he realises this position mimics the first time they cuddled as lovers, except nowadays there's no awkwardness or anxiety. Just peace and comfort, and Pete munching on pretzels.
"Our secret is still going strong, okay?" Pete announces after separating from the hug.
"Yes," Patrick says. "I'll consider putting beloved husband on my grave as a thank you."
Initially, that statement doesn't register with Pete. Mikey lies down, abandoning his plan to read because Pete will undoubtedly tangent in 0.5 seconds and he wants to witness it. Right as he entertains that thought, Pete sits up.
"Wait. You would marry me?"
"That's-that's not my point-"
"You aren’t denying it." Pete grins and gently hits Patrick's shoulder. "I knew you'd come around."
Patrick huffs and mumbles that this isn’t the affection he expected to receive tonight. Mikey laughs loudly and toys with Patrick's hair. "I guess I would," Patrick admits and Pete's eyes widen. “But not right now.”
"Shame. I was gonna research venues," Mikey deadpans and attempts to get up, but Pete abruptly straddles him and holds him down. "What are you doing?"
"We should," Pete says. There’s no indication of sarcasm. “It would be great. And a really dramatic way for Patrick to come out.”
Though Mikey is tempted to bring up the law or unconventionality or the simple fact that he isn’t ready for that, he doesn’t want to ruin the mood when it’s essentially his family’s fault that Patrick was miserable. Especially after Patrick laughs properly for the first time since yesterday.
Plus, maybe they could get married. Lots could go wrong, but Pete is right. They’ll make it work. They make everything work, and Mikey doesn’t see why this would be an exception.
“We could.” Mikey shrugs, a rare smile spreading across his face when Pete cheers and kisses him. “But not right now.”
“Not right now,” Pete repeats and stares pointedly at Patrick.
Stubborn as always, Patrick refuses to repeat them. “We never know,” he comments instead, but that’s an agreement in Pete’s eyes, so the subject is dropped. They resume their promise of showering Patrick in affection for literal hours, until the sky is dark outside and he can barely keep his eyes open.
A movie is on for background noise and Mikey pays attention until he receives a text from his mother, and suddenly that’s all he can focus on. He waits until his boyfriends are distracted before opening it and it reads, Still proud of you. Love you to the moon and back. Always will x
Relief washes over him he fights back tears. He responds with a photo of what’s in front of him – Patrick resting against him and Pete lying across Patrick’s legs ranting about the flawed plotholes in the movie. Before today, he’d warn them to act ‘natural’. Now, however, both boys are completely unaware of the photo.
She texts back immediately. All it says is, Cute x, but Mikey loves it because it’s so unexpected but hammers home that she accepts them, and that’s all Mikey’s ever wanted.
He smiles and locks his phone before leaning back against the pillows, forcing himself to listen to Pete’s ranting. There’s no telling what anyone will be like in the future, but Mikey recalls Pete’s love notes, his empathy, his shameless love and encouragement – hell, he willingly let Gerard hurt him for the sake of protecting Mikey today, and perhaps that speaks volumes about how he’ll turn out.
Regardless, Mikey is glad he can love them without hiding it anymore. He closes his eyes and tunes out Pete’s rant, hoping that someday, Pete and Patrick won’t have to hide it either.