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Patrick gets the call at two o’ clock on a Sunday. He doesn’t answer it right away, because his son will accidentally waterboard himself in the shower if left unattended, but as soon as the little gremlin is clean and safe from the danger of drowning, Patrick checks his messages. He shouldn’t be surprised that it was Pete trying to get ahold of him, but he can’t help feeling elated when he sees Pete’s name on the screen. He dries Elton off, tells him to go put on underwear, and calls Pete back.
“Have you thought about what you and Elton are going to be for Halloween?”
“Hi to you too. And no, we haven’t, because it’s August, Pete.” Patrick digs around in the bathroom cabinet to find q-tips and a comb, then goes to Elton’s room and sits down on the bed. He waves Elton over and tells him to turn his underwear around. “Why?”
“Lily and I had the best idea ever.”
Patrick puts his phone on speaker and sets it down on the bed. He towels off Elton’s hair and picks up the comb. “Okay?” Patrick prompts.
“What if the five of us did a group costume?”
“As in you, me, and the kids?” Patrick asks, at the same time Elton’s face lights up with realization and he shouts, “Hi Pete!”
“Hey, buddy! And yes. Isn’t that the greatest idea you’ve ever heard? Lily was the one that suggested it.”
“Who would we go as?”
Patrick can hear Pete smiling as he says, “You know The Nightmare Before Christmas?”
Patrick hums, thinking of the skeleton grin tattooed on Pete’s forearm.
“The kids would be Lock, Shock, and Barrel, and you and I would be Jack and Sally!”
Patrick pauses mid-way through taming the hair on the back of Elton’s head. “You and I would be Jack and Sally?” he repeats.
“Yep!”
Patrick combs Elton’s hair a little slower, trying to stop his heart from racing. “I mean, I guess we could do that, but…” Wouldn’t that make people think we’re couple, for real? “Wouldn’t it make more sense if I went as the Boogeyman? Aren’t the three… kids, I guess, related to him?”
“First off, his name is Oogie Boogie, not the Boogeyman, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel are just his minions because they don’t want to get put in a stew.” Pete pauses. “Second, no, you’re too likable to be Boogie. He’s made of burlap, Patrick. If you were made of a fabric it would be velvet, or silk, not burlap.”
Patrick reminds himself that Pete is not flirting, he’s just Like That. He’s not interested in Patrick. “Still. It’s kind of cheesy, don’t you think?”
Pete must’ve taken the phone away from his ear, because it’s muffled when he says, “Did you hear that, Lily? He just called our brilliant idea cheesy. How rude.”
Patrick sighs, putting down the comb and turning Elton so he can clean his ears. “So Lily would be the witch, and the boys would be the other two?”
“Yes.”
“And we would be Jack and Sally?”
The line is silent. Patrick throws away the dirty q-tips and tells Elton to stay put while he gets fingernail scissors from the bathroom.
“If you don’t want to, I get it. I know you’re not as into Halloween as Lily and I are.” Pete sounds more than a little dejected now, and Patrick feels his heart sink. “The kids can still dress up, and I guess I could still be Jack.”
“No, just.” Patrick scrubs a hand over his face. “Let me think about it, alright? I just got Elton out of the shower and I have to deal with cutting his nails now.”
“He hasn’t grown out of that yet?” Pete asks, and Patrick can already tell his mood has changed. “Percy stopped throwing fits at the sight of clippers about a year ago.”
“What can I say?” Patrick gets Elton a look. “He’s a stubborn little guy.”
“Just like his dad.”
“Unfortunately,” Patrick mumbles. “I’ll think about it and call you back later, okay?”
“Alright. Talk to you soon, Trick.”
“You too. Bye.” Patrick slides his phone into his pocket. Elton is frowning at him from his bed, where he’s covered everything but his face by his blanket. Patrick considers bribing him with ice cream, but decides that basic hygiene is a hill he’s okay with dying on. “Alright, you. Cooperate and this’ll be over before you know it,” he says, keeping his tone light as he approaches his son.
“Are we trick-or-treating with Pete and Lily and Percy this year?” Elton asks. His grip loosens on the blanket, and Patrick gently slides it off and away.
“Um. We’ll see,” Patrick says, thinking of how to tell his mom they might not come to her house for Halloween this year. “Would you want to dress up with them if we did?”
Elton nods enthusiastically, oblivious to Patrick cutting his toenails.
Fuck. If Pete, Lily, and Elton are all on the same page, there’s no way Patrick can refuse them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily is staring at him with an expectant look when Patrick hangs up. She’s sitting at the counter with her head propped up on her hands, too, instead of hovering by the door to the backyard, where Percy is still digging in the sandbox, so Pete knows this is serious. The dishes can wait.
“What’s up?”
Lily smiles. “I never said Patrick should be Sally.”
“I thought it was implied,” Pete says, even though there’s no point in skirting around the issue. Lily’s eleven, and she’s not blind; she knows what crushes look like, and she knows Pete likes Patrick as more than a friend. “You said you wanted Elton to be Barrel, so why wouldn’t Patrick get roped in with our group costume?”
“I’m just saying, I wasn’t the one who said Patrick should be Sally.”
Pete blinks. “You can’t blackmail me, you know. I can ground you for extortion.”
Lily’s face falls. “Darn it.”
“But, I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell him,” Pete adds. “So name your price.”
Lily perks up again. “Really?”
Pete nods. He doesn’t think Lily would betray his trust, but the extra insurance couldn’t hurt. He’s been meaning to reward her anyway, especially since she’s been helping Percy with school stuff when Pete can’t. “Nothing too crazy, but yeah.”
“I want to watch a scary movie. An R-rated one.”
“Wow. That was fast.” Pete thinks for a minute, then nods. “Okay. On one condition: I get to pick the movie.” He does not want to run the risk that she’ll pick out something like Silence of the Lambs, or more modern nightmare fuel like Hereditary.
Lily beams, holding out a hand. “Deal.” They shake on it, and Pete’s about to get back to doing the dishes, but Lily doesn’t move. Her face and tone are painted with nothing but seriousness when she asks, “Why don’t you want Patrick to know you love him?”
Pete takes a deep breath. “It’s not that I don’t want him to know. It’s just… scary, telling people you love them like that.”
Lily scoffs. “No it’s not. I told my friend that I like him the other day and I wasn’t scared at all.”
Pete doesn’t ask what friend; he knows those kinds of details are saved for her mom. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel a pang in his chest when he considers that Lily didn’t even tell him she had a crush. He’ll talk to Patrick about it later. “But are you still friends?”
Lily pauses, frowning in thought. “I think so.”
Pete leans on the counter, softening his tone when he says, “Do things feel different?”
Lily nods.
“That’s what I’m scared of,” Pete admits. “Because Patrick and I are really good friends. Best friends. And you guys love him, too. So I don’t want things to feel different.”
Lily ponders this for a moment, then says, “I don’t think things would be different in a bad way, if you told Patrick.” She leaves no room for questions, however, because as soon as she’s done talking she hops off her stool and goes outside. Pete stays frozen for a minute, then goes to the window.
Lily grabs Percy’s hat off the grass and shoves it down on his head, and Pete can almost hear her dramatically telling him about the dangers of sunburn. She plops down in the sandbox next to him and helps him scoop sand into a mold of a castle. Pete smiles at them, imagining Elton playing with them while he and Patrick make dinner together, only interrupting the kids’ outside time when it’s time to set the table.
Pete sighs, shakes himself out of his fantasy, and tackles the dishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick met Pete in the last place he would’ve ever expected to meet the next love of his life: a support group for divorced parents. He hadn’t even wanted to go to the meeting— Patrick’s mom made him go, after telling him that being antisocial wasn’t going to help him raise a son, and he seemed determined not to meet anyone while working as a wedding singer. So Patrick went, because she promised that if he hated it she’d stop insisting, and there, in the public library on a Wednesday afternoon, he met Pete. Pete, who had an eight year old daughter and a three year old son that he missed to death when they were at their mom’s place more than he actually missed their mom. Pete, who felt more insecure about his abilities as a parent than anything related to his divorce. Pete, who's face lit up when Patrick gathered the courage to start a conversation with him via the Star Wars hoodie he’d worn to the meeting. Patrick went to a few more meetings after that, just to keep seeing Pete, but once they finally exchanged numbers and started talking outside the group, he didn’t see the need to.
(Patrick doesn’t give it too much thought, but he and Pete stopped going around the same time, despite the fact that Pete had been a member of the group for five months before Patrick showed up.)
It wasn’t love at first sight. Attraction, yes— Patrick would have to be blind to not be attracted to Pete— but it wasn’t until they’d known each other for a few months that Patrick knew.
They had decided to get their kids together for a playdate, since Percy and Elton were pretty close in age, and it would give them more opportunities to hang out if they didn’t have to limit their plans to the weekends that neither of them had their kids. They went to one of the new interactive museums, thinking it would be fun for both the little boys and Pete’s older daughter, and made plans for the five of them to get lunch together afterward. There were a few things that resulted in Patrick knowing.
One: Patrick ended up adoring Lily Dickinson and Percy as much as he does his own son. Lily has the same dark hair and golden eyes as her dad, and even though she seemed off-put by how much slower her brother was, it was clear from the way she kept an eye on him and explained the plaques she was reading to him that she loves him. And Percy has the same smile and laugh as Pete, and he was so friendly towards Elton, following him around and pointing stuff out to him that he might’ve missed in his rush to see everything. Their kids just clicked, staying in a little group nearby and looking out for one another, and knowing that warmed Patrick’s heart.
Two A: Patrick got to see Pete’s parenting in action. He didn’t set Lily and Percy loose in the museum and then ignore them, like some of the worse parents Patrick has had the misfortune of encountering: he monitored them for real, reminding them not to stray too far or invade anyone else’s space. He asked Lily about the plaques she read, and joined in with a playful smile whenever she started teasing her brother. Patrick loved every second of it.
Two B: Patrick got to see Pete interact with Elton for the first time. Because it’s one thing to see how someone deals with their own kids, who they’ve had practice at talking to and taking care of, but it’s another to see how they react to another person’s child. Pete was excited to meet Elton, of course, and he unashamedly gushed about how cute the two year old was and how much he looked like Patrick, but he also helped Patrick comfort him after Elton fell and scraped his knee.
Then, they left the museum to get lunch. They didn’t go anywhere fancy, just a Panera a few minutes away from the museum. Pete and his kids ordered first and found a table, and Patrick ordered his and Elton’s food. Elton’s food was ready fairly quick, considering he only wanted a sandwich and a tube of yogurt, so Patrick had to get up again to get his own food.
When he sat back down, Pete had cut the crust off of Elton’s sandwich.
“Oh, I could’ve done that when I sat back down, you didn’t have to,” Patrick had said when Pete told him Elton had asked.
Pete just shrugged and replied, “It’s no problem. I’m happy to do it.”
Patrick noticed, however, that Lily and Percy ate their sandwiches with the crust on.
Such a simple gesture shouldn’t have made Patrick fall as hard and as fast as he did for Pete, but it did, and Patrick knows there’s no way he’ll recover.
Which is why he almost has a heart attack during school pick up when Pete says, “I ordered the kids’ masks for Halloween. I don’t think their costumes will be too hard to put together after that, we just have to make sure they have the right color clothes and get some temporary hair dye.”
Pete didn’t even mention the two of them dressing as Jack and Sally, but Patrick feels like he’s been slapped. “If you think Percy will sit still long enough for you to dye his hair, you’re delusional.”
“Not box dye,” Pete says with a roll of his eyes. “The stuff you spray on. All he’d have to do is hold a towel over his face for a few minutes and viola, red hair.”
“I don’t think Elton will sit still long enough for me to spray paint his hair, either,” Patrick points out.
“So bring him over to my place. You spray, I’ll distract. It’s foolproof. Plus the kids can get ready together and we don’t have to worry about anyone running behind.”
Patrick shifts his weight and adjusts his ball cap. Standing in front of the school and waiting for the kids to be released is not his idea of fun. The asphalt is radiating heat, and Patrick is still in his work clothes. He’s sweating through his shirt and dreaming of his car’s air conditioning. It’s only the second week of September, and it’s not only too hot for Patrick’s liking, but it feels too early for Pete to be worried about getting the kids’ costumes together. He understands not wanting to wait until the last minute, but Patrick has more pressing things on his mind right now, like whether or not Elton’s mom is going to want him for the entirety of fall break. But Patrick looks over at Pete, and even through the sun’s glare Patrick can see the spark of hope in Pete’s eyes.
“This really means a lot to you,” Patrick says. It’s not a question, but Pete smiles shyly and nods anyway.
“Yeah, Halloween’s my favorite holiday, but you knew that already.” He’s quiet for a moment, then he adds, “And I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of looking forward to not being alone this year.”
And Patrick… Patrick can understand that, too. Because as much as he likes going trick-or-treating in his mom’s neighborhood and being half of a two-man team with his son, it does get lonely, sometimes. Most of the people he encounters there are married couples, single moms, and the occasional grandparents. The prospect of spending the night with Pete, his best friend, their kids wandering around together and trading candy afterward, is one that fills Patrick with joy.
Plus, a part of him has been fantasizing that maybe, once the kids have all fallen asleep, he and Pete will curl up together on the couch and watch a movie, and maybe Pete’s head will fall onto his shoulder, and maybe one thing will lead to another and he’ll wake up the next morning with Pete in his arms.
Patrick may be caught up in said fantasy when he asks, “So what about our costumes?”
He realizes what he said a second too late, but Pete’s face lights up and he says, “You’re actually going to dress up with me?” and Patrick can’t take it back.
“Why not?” Patrick hopes he’s coming across as much more casual than he feels. “I mean, you were probably going to dress up no matter what, and I don’t want to be the only one not in costume.”
“Yeah,” Pete says absently, still looking at Patrick with bright eyes.
Patrick plows ahead. Maybe if he doesn’t think about it, it won’t become a Thing. “So… what do I need to get?”
Pete shakes his head. “Don’t even worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind buying my own costume. You’re already doing me a huge favor by getting everything for Elton.”
Pete smiles. “I’m sure. I’ve got you, Trick.”
Patrick feels hot all over, but it’s not because of the heat anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Pete, it wasn’t until he had a too-long mandatory staff meeting that he fell in love with Patrick. He works at the same preschool Percy went to at the time, but he needed someone to pick up Lily from the elementary school, and he knew her mom was busy that day and wouldn’t be able to do it. So he called Patrick to come grab Lily’s car tag and tell him where the spare key to the house was, and he sat through the boring meeting that definitely could’ve accomplished the same goal in a well-written email, and he went home, ready to see his daughter and maybe invite Patrick and Elton to stay for dinner.
Turns out, he was not ready.
Because he walked in the door to hear Patrick telling Lily a story that had her cracking up, and when he went into the kitchen Patrick was in the middle of making a snack for her and Elton, and Patrick looked up from what he was doing and gave Pete a smile that made his heart stop. In that moment, watching Percy run up to Patrick and attack his legs with a hug, Pete could see a future where Patrick wasn’t just doing Pete a favor by picking up Lily, where he wouldn’t have to invite Patrick and Elton to stay for dinner, they just would. Pete could see himself walking up to Patrick and greeting him with a hug and a kiss, could see himself making dinner while the kids play and Patrick works on a new song, could see the five of them collapsing in the living room to watch a movie together for bed.
It was so clear, so painfully right, Pete almost walked up to Patrick and kissed him then and there.
From there, the picture only got clearer. Pete could see himself helping Patrick wrangle Elton into the bath, and adding Elton’s daycare to Pete’s daily stops before going to the preschool. He could see himself laying his head on Patrick’s shoulder when he works from home, and making breakfast with Patrick and the kids on weekends. Every time one of them mentioned going to someone’s wedding, Pete imagined them going together. He even started picturing Patrick and Elton with him, Lily, and Percy on holidays: the five of them decorating a Christmas tree together being one of his favorites.
But now? Thinking about the kids dressing up and trick-or-treating together? Thinking about himself and Patrick wearing a fucking couple’s costume?
Pete has to take a minute to breathe before pulling out of the elementary school’s parking lot.
He forces himself not to think about it while he drives, because he will crash if he thinks about it while driving, and he pulls into the middle school with no incidents. He texts Lily and tells her where he’s parked, and he waits. He plans the rest of his day in his head: get himself and the kids home, call a friend to tell them what happened and ask for advice, panic for an hour or two, make dinner and pretend everything is fine, and go to bed shortly after Lily and Percy.
This is not what happens, however, because as soon as Lily slides into the passenger seat and gets her bag settles under her feet, Pete blurts out, “Patrick’s going to be my Sally.”
Lily’s jaw drops. “Really?” she asks in quiet, awe-struck voice. Pete nods, and her face lights up. “That’s great!”
That’s exactly what Pete thought when Patrick agreed. He must’ve been having a heat stroke. “Lily, this is not great.”
“Why not?”
“Because.” And here Pete falls quiet. Because. Because what? Patrick’s not panicking right now. He’s probably sitting at home with Elton, singing and composing and being his amazing self. The words “couple’s costume” probably haven’t even crossed his mind. Pete’s the one making something out of nothing; Pete’s the one making this a Thing.
Lily’s eyes flash with realization, and she says, “You’re still worried he’s gonna find out you love him, and that your friendship will be ruined, aren’t you?”
Pete nods, hoping he doesn’t look as pathetic as he feels, especially in front of Lily and Percy.
Lily stares at Pete like she’s looking for something, and Pete feels a little nervous whenever she looks at him like that, but finally she says, “Honestly? I don’t think anything could ruin your friendship. You’ve been friends like, forever. Even if something happens, I think you guys would work it out and everything would go back to normal.” She shrugs. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“It’ll be okay, daddy,” Percy chimes in from the back seat.
Lily twists in her seat to look at him. “You’re right Percy, it will be.” Pete smiles at the both of them, feeling a little better already. Because they’re right: everything will probably be okay, and even if things with Patrick and Elton go south, the three of them will still have each other. Lily sits back and looks at Pete. “I don’t think I did very good on my math test today.”
“That’s okay,” Pete says, starting the car and getting ready to back out of his parking spot. “As long as you tried your best, that’s all I care about. Math only gets harder and more useless.”
Pete doesn’t feel like cooking, so they get Taco Bell for dinner, and they watch Back to the Future for the umpteenth time. Percy and Lily go to bed early, and they must know that Pete’s still feeling a little shaky because they both hug him extra hard, and Percy tells Pete that he can borrow his favorite stuffed animal, if he wants. Pete declines, because he knows Percy won’t sleep well without Sam the owl, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want a little extra comfort tonight; he considered telling Percy and Lily to gather their things and crawl into bed with him, but it’s a school night and he doesn’t want to disrupt their routine. Pete journals, takes a quick shower, then gets himself ready for bed.
Pete lays awake, staring at the ceiling, and he thinks. He knows that Lily’s right, that he and Patrick can probably survive anything, but probably feels like the operative word, and there’s a lot of room for spiraling. He floats in a state of not-quite-panic but not-quite-calm, flashes of the potential good and bad go off behind his eyes.
Patrick and Elton have become such an integral part of Pete’s life— and, by extension, Lily and Percy’s— that the thought of losing them makes Pete queasy. He can’t imagine the kind of damage it would do, to all of them, if their pack got ripped in half. Not because he thinks Patrick would be upset, per se, but because it would change their dynamic, whether Patrick feels the same way or not, and Pete doesn’t know if he could handle it. There are so many ways for things to go wrong.
But Pete takes a deep breath and pictures how things could go right. It’s not hard, because he’s been daydreaming about it on and off for years now, and he wants it. He wants Elton to be Lily and Percy’s little brother, he wants himself and Patrick to be their dads, he wants Patrick to be his. He wants Patrick to sleep peacefully next to him with the knowledge that their kids are only a few steps away.
He knows he’s overthinking this. He knows that Lily and Percy are right, that everything will be okay.
After all, it’s a Halloween costume, not a marriage proposal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick expects updates. Like, hourly updates. He expects eight million notifications telling him Pete has found a new Jack Skellington makeup tutorial or that he learned a new obscure fact about Tim Burton or Danny Elfman while doing a spontaneous deep-dive into the history of The Nightmare Before Christmas. At the very least, he expects a message here and there that he’s picked up another piece of their costumes. Maybe a random text about how excited Lily and Percy are for Halloween, how excited Pete is that the five of them are dressing up and trick-or-treating together.
Needless to say, he’s a little shocked when Pete doesn’t talk about it at all.
And they talk, it’s not that they’re not talking— they still text each other throughout the day, and they chatter as much as the gossipy PTA moms during pick up at the elementary school, but they don’t talk about Halloween. The closest they get is when Pete texts Patrick to ask what sizes he wears, and when Pete mentions one of the houses on their street hands out apple cider every year. Patrick mentions how happy he is Halloween falls on a Saturday, and Pete agrees with him, but that’s the end of the discussion.
Maybe Patrick should be worried. Pete doesn’t seem to be deliberately hiding anything, but with how much Pete loves Halloween, he’s a little suspicious. He hasn’t asked about anything, because he’s still trying to wrap his head around the fact that they’re doing a Couple’s Costume, but he thinks that as soon as he gathers his courage, he should start asking questions. At the very least to figure out how much Pete has already taken care of and what Patrick can do.
It’s a Thursday afternoon, two weeks after Patrick agreed to be the Sally to Pete’s Jack, when Pete comes over. Lily and Percy have already gone to their mom’s, but Elton is still with Patrick because his mom had a work thing come up. Elton is scribbling furiously on a Monster’s Inc. coloring page when Patrick leads Pete into the kitchen, but he stops when he looks up and sees Pete. Elton’s face lights up, he drops his crayon, and he dashes across the room to wrap Pete’s legs in a hug. Pete scoops him up without a second thought, smiling and asking Elton about his day, and Patrick’s heart melts.
Patrick clears his throat. “We’re having spaghetti. I hope that’s alright.” His voice doesn’t shake, which is a miracle considering Elton is clinging to Pete and waiting patiently for his turn to babble about art class.
Pete grins warmly. “Sounds great.”
So Patrick pushes up his sleeves and gets to work while Pete and Elton sit at the kitchen table, talking and coloring. It’s not an unfamiliar evening: Pete and Patrick have been spending their kidless weekends together for what feels like forever, eating take out on the couch or going out to try a new restaurant someone recommended them, and even when they have their kids, it’s not uncommon for them to get together and let the kids play while they talk. Tonight isn’t that different from any other night, but he gets to watch Pete and Elton bond out of the corner of his eye as he works on the marinara sauce, and that doesn’t happen very often.
It’s now that Pete starts talking about Halloween, and after the spike of adrenaline Patrick feels while thinking about how, in case you missed it, he and Pete are doing a Couple’s Costume, goes away, he gets glances at Elton’s smiling face and starts feeling excited again.
“Are you looking forward to trick-or-treating with Lily and Percy?” Pete asks, not looking up from the coloring sheet Elton gave him.
“Yes!”
“I can’t wait to see the three of you in your costumes. I don’t know if your dad told you this, but The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies.”
There’s a pause, and then Elton repeats, “The Nightmare Before Christmas?”
“Yeah?” Pete looks up, taking in the confused look on Elton’s face. His jaw drops, and he turns his gaze to Patrick. “Has he never seen it?”
Patrick thinks for a moment. “I don’t know. He might have when he was younger.”
“Patrick, I am personally offended. We can’t make Elton dress up as a character from a movie he’s never seen!” He turns to Elton and says, “We’re showing you The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“After dinner,” Patrick says. “There’s no way I’m trusting him—” he nods at Elton— “with red sauce anywhere near the couch.”
It doesn’t take long for dinner to be ready. Pete offers to help fix plates, but Patrick declines since it’s just the three of them. Pete tells Patrick about all the incidents at the preschool, and they joke about how neither of them are surprised that the youngest Williams kid threw a fit when Pete gently told him to stop calling out during story time. Elton talks about the very exciting game of tag he played during recess, and Patrick tells the two of them about his upcoming job. He’s really looking forward to this one: he’s going to sing at the reception for two brides with a love of classic rock that requested he include lots of David Bowie and Queen. They’re stuck at the table for an hour or so, but there’s still a good amount of time left before Elton has to go to bed, and Pete and Elton gang up on him and demand to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas. Patrick waves his hand and dismisses them, and the two of them bolt to the living room.
Patrick rolls his eyes fondly, then starts collecting their bowls. Pete comes back in a moment later and says, “You aren’t going to watch with us?” from the doorframe. Before Patrick can answer, he looks at the dishes in Patrick’s hands and adds, “I can take care of those before I leave. Come relax with us.” He’s all but giving Patrick puppy eyes; Patrick relents, setting the bowls back down and following a now grinning Pete to the living room.
Elton has plopped down in the center of the couch, legs tucked under his favorite blanket. Pete sits on one side of him, and Patrick sits on the other. He grabs the remote off the side table and works on getting the movie pulled up. Pete turns to Elton and raves about how much he’s going to like it, how Lily loves it, too, sounding not unlike Elton did earlier when talking about finger painting. It’s frustratingly endearing.
“What about Percy?” Patrick asks, not having to look at Pete to know how bright his eyes must be right now.
“He likes it too,” he says, mostly to Elton. Patrick can feel it when Pete looks at his profile and adds, “But Percy’s more of a Beetlejuice man.”
“Really? But Beetlejuice is so much darker. It seems more like something Lily would be into.”
Pete shrugs. “I think he has a crush on Winona Ryder.”
Patrick chuckles. “Well, I guess I can’t blame him for that.”
Pete tells Elton to pay attention to the songs, and with that they start the movie. Pete doesn’t sing, but every time Patrick glances over, he’s mouthing the words and his face is lit up like a Christmas tree. His face is glued to the screen, except for when Elton gasps or giggles, in which case Pete looks down at him and grins.
Patrick watches the two of them more than he watches the movie. It’s amazing how similar they look when they’re smiling like that, so invested in the stop-motion characters that they don’t even notice Patrick staring. They have the same gleam in their eyes, despite Elton having Patrick’s blue eyes, he notes. None of their features are remotely similar, but Patrick thinks that if he took a picture of the two of them, side-by-side, joy written all over their faces, they could pass as family. He thinks he could sit and watch them smile until the end of time.
He snaps a picture, for safekeeping. Neither of them notice.
The movie ends an hour later. Elton doesn’t look tired, but Patrick insists that they go brush his teeth and get him ready for bed. Pete backs him up, but not before making sure Elton loved the movie, and promising Elton that his Barrel costume is going to be fantastic.
Patrick almost falls asleep after reading to Elton, and he has to blink a few times before his eyes adjust to the light in the hallway. He pads out to the kitchen, groaning silently at the thought of the dishes he left there and the leftovers he has to put away.
To his delight, the kitchen is spotless when he gets there.
Pete is sitting at the table again, in the chair that Patrick has mentally designated as Pete’s, scrolling on his phone. His brow is furrowed slightly, but he looks up and smiles when he realizes Patrick is there.
“You didn’t have to,” he says, waving at the clean kitchen.
“Well, I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye, and I would’ve felt like an asshole if I didn’t help at least a little.” He stands up. “Think of it as a thank you for letting me come over and eat your food.”
Patrick laughs. “You’re welcome anytime. You know that,” he says quietly.
Pete looks at his feet. “I know, but I didn’t mean to hijack your time with Elton.”
Patrick frowns, tilting his head. “What do you mean? You come over all the time when Elton’s here.”
“Yeah, but I usually have Lily and Percy with me when I do.”
“So?” Patrick shakes his head. “You didn’t hijack anything, Pete. We enjoy your company.”
Pete lifts his head, smiling softly. “You’re not just using me for my kids?” he jokes.
“Of course not,” Patrick says adamantly.
Pete’s gaze softens even more, and Patrick wants to pull him into a hug.
They end up having one more drink together before Pete leaves. Patrick would offer to let him stay the night, but he knows Pete has work in the morning, and he doesn’t have the energy to fix up the couch. (A small part of him whispers that he could offer Pete his bed, that it would be easy for them to share it. He doesn’t, however, because that would probably be overstepping the boundaries of their friendship, no matter how flirtatious Pete can be.) Pete gathers his keys, wallet, and phone, and stands at the door.
“Thanks again for letting me come over,” Pete says, unlocking the door.
“Anytime,” Patrick says. Here, he opens his arms, giving into his urge from earlier. Patrick wraps his arms around Pete tight, and Pete does the same to him, hooking his chin over Patrick’s shoulder. Patrick holds on a little longer than he should, but Pete doesn’t protest or try to pull away, instead hugging Patrick tighter. He gives Patrick a squeeze and lets go. He gives Patrick one last heart-melting smile and slips out the door. Patrick waits to lock the door until Pete’s safely in his car and backing out of Patrick’s drive way.
Patrick is too tired to mourn Pete’s absence, and he falls asleep still feeling the warmth of Pete’s arms around him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pete doesn’t want to brag, but he thinks he nailed it. The kids’ costumes are folded up in the laundry room, sitting with their respective masks, and his own Jack Skellington suit is hanging in his closet. He’s got enough hair spray for all of them, including Patrick, if he wants it, and he has face paint for himself and Patrick, as well. Whether or not Patrick will get that into it, Pete doesn’t know, but it won’t hurt to offer it.
Patrick’s costume hasn’t arrived yet, but there’s still plenty of time before Halloween.
In the mean time, the five of them go to the pumpkin patch together. Pete and the kids want to get the biggest pumpkin they can find, but Patrick points out that A, they all took the same car, so they won’t have room for it in the back, and B, they really should get two pumpkins, one for each house.
Pete lays down, oh, roughly fifty layers of newspaper on his dining room table. He glances at Elton, Lily, and Percy, who are sitting in the living room eating popsicles and watching TV, and knows he could buy out the Los Angeles Times and it wouldn’t be enough to prevent a mess. He’s considering putting newspaper on the floor, just to be on the safe side, when Patrick comes in with the first pumpkin in his arms.
“Give me a hand with this?” he asks, straining. Pete puts down his stack of newspaper and takes half the weight of the pumpkin. They carry it to the far end of the table, then set it down. Patrick leaves to get the second pumpkin out of the car and Pete follows.
“I think you were right in making us go for the smaller pumpkins,” Pete says, watching Patrick pick up the pumpkin.
“I knew I would be. I’ve got this one, can you get the door?” He nods towards the car. Pete reaches up and shuts the back. When they get back inside, Pete makes sure Patrick’s car is locked, then helps his position the next pumpkin on the table.
They stand in the doorway to the kitchen, staring at the pair of pumpkins. Pete turns to Patrick, who’s standing with his hands on his hips, and says, “I spent hours cleaning last week when my parents came over for dinner.”
Patrick makes a pained face. “And now your floor is going to be covered in pumpkin guts.” Pete nods. After another moment of silence, Patrick adds, “That’s life for you.”
Pete laughs. “Alright, no use delaying it.” He turns to the living room and yells, “Okay, we’re ready!”
The kids’ heads perk up, like meerkats, and all at once they scramble up and dash into the kitchen. Lily and Percy sit in front of their pumpkin, and Elton grabs Patrick’s hand and drags him to his pumpkin. Most of the tools are already on the table, but Pete gets a bigger carving knife from the kitchen and holds it out to Patrick. “You want to go first?” Patrick shrugs and nods, taking the knife.
“We should carve a robot,” Percy says, considering the pumpkin in front of him.
Lily hums. “We could,” she says in a tone that says she would rather not. “Or we could do a ghost. Or a bat. Or a spider.”
“I think a robot would be easier than a spider,” Patrick interjects, removing the top of his and Elton’s pumpkin and handing the knife to Pete. “Think of all those legs you’d have to cut out.”
“Good point,” Lily says with a nod. She sees Elton, who’s bouncing excitedly in his seat, and smiles. “Hey, I’m gonna give you a tip: it’s easier to get out all the seeds and guts if you do it with your bare hands.”
“That is not true,” Patrick says immediately.
“It’s more fun,” Percy chimes in.
Patrick looks at Pete and says, “This is why you can’t have nice things.”
Pete grins, removing the top of the pumpkin and shoving it closer to Percy and Lily. “Go nuts you two.” Elton is already elbow-deep in his pumpkin, Patrick looking on with resigned horror. “Do you want a spoon to scrape it out with when he’s done?” Patrick nods.
The floor is, in fact, speckled with pumpkin guts when the kids are done. They themselves are almost one hundred percent clean after washing their arms in the sink. Patrick and Pete are left to scrape the inside of the pumpkins while Lily, Percy, and Elton hold a mini-conference on how they’re going to carve their pumpkins. When they’re done, they sit patiently at the table, waiting for the go-ahead to start drawing their designs.
Percy is the most artistic out of the five of them, so he’s the one that gets the black sharpie. Evidently, Lily gave in, because his first drawing is of a robot with a square mouth and big round eyes. When he’s done, he turns to Elton and asks, “Alright, what do you want?”
Elton sits and thinks, staring at his and Patrick’s pumpkin like he’s trying to carve it with his eyes.
“I could do a bat or a ghost, like Lily said,” Percy offers.
Elton breaks into a grin “A ghost,” he says, nodding.
“You got it,” Percy says, shifting the pumpkin and getting to work.
They’re in the middle of the actual carving when Pete’s phone starts ringing. He would let it go to voice mail, but it’s Andy, one of his coworkers, and Andy is one of those people that never calls first unless it’s an emergency. “Crap, I’ve got to take this,” he tells Patrick. “Can you handle the three of them on your own?”
Patrick nods, half-way through with cutting out Elton’s ghost. “No problem.”
Pete doesn’t mean to be gone half an hour, but when Andy needs to rant, he rants, and their principal sending out an email with some passive-aggressive bullshit about lunch room procedure is definitely a rant-worthy cause. He comes back out to the dining room to find the kids crowded around Patrick, watching intently as he carves the robot pumpkin. The ghost pumpkin sits beside it, neatly carved and trimmed. Elton is sitting with his head leaning against Patrick, and Percy is on the other side of Patrick, rambling excitedly about the movie they watched the other night. Lily is standing beside the three of them, listening to Percy with a smile and exchanging looks with Elton.
Once again, Pete is confronted with the image of everything he wants, right in front of him. Patrick glances up at him and smiles, and Pete’s knees feel weak.
“Do you want to take over from here?” Patrick asks, withdrawing the knife from the pumpkin.
“Uh, sure,” Pete says, forcing a smile in the hopes that he doesn’t look like a love-struck idiot. One glance at Lily tells him she sees right through him.
He manages to finish carving the pumpkin without slicing his own fingers, but only because the kids decide they want to watch another movie, leaving Patrick to follow them to the living room and negotiate a compromise. Pete moves the pumpkins to the kitchen counter and grabs a trash bag. The Scooby Doo theme song starts playing in the other room, and Patrick re-enters the kitchen. Together they shove all the orange-stained newspaper into the bag, and they clorox the dining table. Patrick offers to help Pete mop up, but Pete declines; it’s going to wind up a mess again when they sit down to eat.
Patrick sits down at the table and pulls out his phone. Pete sits down across from him and does the same, answering a few emails and texts from other annoyed coworkers. He glances up at Patrick, trying not to get distracted by the way he’s biting his lip while reading, and clears his throat.
“I got the kids’ costumes all sorted out,” Pete says, testing the waters. They haven’t talked about Halloween much, because Pete doesn’t know how to bring it up without his heart racing.
Patrick stiffens, and Pete had noticed that, too— how Patrick seems to panic whenever they talk about it. Even when Patrick brought it up himself, his voice was a little off and he didn’t linger on the subject. He sets down his phone and looks at Pete. “Yeah? That’s good.” He pauses, glancing into the living room, before asking, “What about our costumes?”
“I’ve got mine already, and your’s is on the way.”
“Okay.” Patrick nods. “Cool.” Pete expects him to drop it, to pick up his phone and go back to whatever he was doing, but instead he says, “Thank you.”
Pete smiles. “No problem, I’m happy to do it.”
Patrick blushes, reaching for his phone again. “Were you planning on cooking tonight? Cause I can order pizza if you guys are up for it.”
Pete scoffs. “Are you kidding? We’re always up for pizza.” Especially if it means Patrick and Elton are staying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick and Elton are late arriving at Pete’s house because Patrick’s mom insisted they come over and help her make cookies for the trick-or-treaters. Luckily, she sent them with a few cookies to bring to Pete’s, so at least he doesn’t show up empty handed. Percy and Lily are already half-dressed, and Percy doesn’t hesitate to grab Elton’s hand and drag him deeper into the house. Lily is sitting on the couch reading, her purple dress laying delicately around her as she swings her legs. She looks at Patrick and grins, saying “Dad’s in the bathroom. He’s working on Percy’s hair.” There’s black paint around her eyes, and Patrick thinks Pete must’ve put white face paint on her cheeks, too, because she looks paler. It suits her, in a weird way.
“Thanks,” Patrick says with a nod. “Nice costume.”
Lily beams, then goes back to her book when Patrick moves to take the cookies to the kitchen.
Patrick assumed Lily meant the bathroom she shares with Percy, but when he looks in, all he sees is the blue and green shower curtain. He goes into Pete’s bedroom next, smiling when he sees Elton sitting on the edge of Pete’s bed, watching Pete spray red paint on Percy’s head. Patrick can hear Percy talking excitedly through the towel he’s holding over his face; he can’t tell exactly what he’s saying, but Elton is nodding along like he can hear Percy perfectly.
Pete shifts to the side to spray another section of Percy’s head. He glances up, spots Patrick, and grins. “Happy Halloween, Trick. You ready to trick-or-treat?”
Before he can respond, Percy’s head pops up, towel falling to his lap. He yells, “Patrick!” and springs up from the stool he was sitting on, rushing over to hug Patrick.
“Hey, watch it with your hair,” Pete tells him, looking pensively at Percy’s head resting against Patrick’s middle.
“It’s fine,” Patrick says, hugging Percy back. His shirt is definitely going to be stained. “I’ve had this shirt forever.” Percy lifts his head and grins at Patrick, the same smile on Pete’s face mere moments ago, and Patrick smiles back. Percy goes back to the stool and sits down, telling Elton, “Your dad gives the best hugs,” before picking up his towel again. Patrick looks down at his shirt and sees a splotch of red where Percy’s head was. He shakes his head and sees Pete doing the same out of the corner of his eye, smiling fondly.
Patrick takes up his spot next to Elton, watching Pete finish up Percy’s hair. “Did you spray Lily’s hair, too?” Patrick asks as Pete spot-checks Percy, adding more paint in the areas that Percy’s natural hair color shows through too much.
“Nope. Her hair is dark enough that she didn’t think it mattered.” He pauses, giving Percy one more once-over. “Alright, I think you’re good. Can you help Elton with his costume?”
Percy nods enthusiastically, jumping up again and coming over to Elton. “Let’s go,” he says simply, taking Elton’s hand again. Elton goes without a fuss.
Patrick waits until they leave and says, “I wish he listened to me that well.”
Pete laughs, setting down his can of paint and rinsing his hands. “Tell me about it. Lily does a better job getting Percy’s attention than I do.” He dries his hands, then leans on the doorway to the bathroom. He looks at Patrick with a soft smile. “Are you excited?”
Patrick nods. “My mom sent us with cookies, by the way. The bat one is yours, and Percy and Lily can fight over who gets the ghost.”
“Tell her I said thanks. Do you want to see our costumes?” The smile hasn’t fallen from his face, but Patrick can tell he’s a little more cautious now, like he’s afraid Patrick will back out at the last minute.
Patrick has had plenty of moments of panic over the past few weeks, where he thought he should call the whole thing off, because he can’t ignore the implications of them wearing a Couple’s Costume. He doesn’t want to do something stupid like confess his love, even if it’s only his own fear of rejection holding him back. But the thing is, standing here with Pete, he has a gut feeling that Pete is worrying about the exact same things, whether they’re on the same scale as Patrick’s or not, just from looking into Pete’s deeply expressive golden eyes. Somehow, it makes him feel safer. It makes him smile and say, “Don’t keep me in suspense, Wentz.”
Pete’s face lights up, and he rushes over to his closet. He pushes an absurd amount of clothes aside, then pulls out two garment bags and lays them out side-by-side on his bed. He opens the first one, revealing a black and white pinstriped suit, normal except for the bowtie with the cat head in the middle. Patrick nods absently, thinking about how good Pete would look in that suit on any occasion. He feels Pete glance at him before opening the second bag.
In all honesty, Patrick had half-expected it to be a dress. Not even as a joke, just because Pete would probably have no qualms about wearing a dress, and, in excited tunnel-vision, would assume Patrick would feel the same. It’s not a dress though— it’s a three-piece suit. The waistcoat is half-yellow, half-purple, and the purple half is covered in spiral drawn in thin black lines. The jacket is blue with black patches on it, except for the left sleeve, which is yellow and striped with more black. The pants are the plainest thing about the outfit, and even they have colorful, patterned patches scattered around the black fabric. To top it all off, the hemming on each piece is accentuated by dramatic black stitching.
“Well?” Pete asks, and once again Patrick can feel him watching for a reaction. “What do you think?”
“You had this custom-made, didn’t you?” Patrick asks, brushing his fingertips over the fabric. He tears his eyes away from the suit and looks at Pete, who’s still looking at him with that cautious smile. They’re standing a lot closer than Patrick thought they were, close enough that Patrick could count all the precious laugh lines on his face.
Pete shrugs one shoulder, smile softening. “I knew you were kind of hesitant to do this, so I figured you should get the best costume. So you wouldn’t regret it.” His tone is quiet and gentle, like this is pillow talk and not a conversation about Halloween costumes. For a second, Patrick forgets they’re not the only ones in the house.
“Elton’s dressed!” Percy announces, causing them both to jump. The boys are standing in the doorway, still holding hands, excitement painted on both of their faces. Elton’s skeleton shirt and pants are pretty cute, and Patrick knows he’s going to take a million pictures before and during trick-or-treating.
Pete claps his hands. “Awesome. Let’s get your hair fixed up, buddy.”
Elton’s blond hair doesn’t take very long, though Patrick fusses a little when he sees how bright the paint is, complaining about not wanting his bathtub stained green. Pete tells him to relax, that Elton can just shower here, since the bath is going to be stained red either way. Patrick takes a moment, again, to thank the forces that made Halloween fall on a Saturday and not a school night. Elton is ecstatic when he sees his own green hair in the mirror, and Percy tells him how cool he looks in at least three different ways. Pete dismisses the two of them, and Patrick can hear Lily gushing over their costumes when they run out to the living room.
“She’ll keep them occupied for a while,” Pete says, handing Patrick his Sally suit. Pete smiles, a little shyly. “Ready to get dressed?”
Patrick smiles back. “Yeah. And thank you, for doing all of this. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, Patrick. I’m glad you and Elton are here.” He puts a hand on Patrick’s shoulder and squeezes. “You can change in my bathroom, if you want. I know Percy and Lily’s bathroom is a mess.” With that, he smiles, picks up his suit, and leaves the room.
Patrick remembers Pete asking him for his measurements, but a fuzzy feeling still fills his chest when he puts on the suit and it fits perfectly. It looks a little ridiculous, sure, but it’s Halloween, and it’s not like he does this all time. Plus, if anyone judges him, this is Pete’s neighborhood, not his, so chances are he’ll never have to see them again.
Patrick opens the door to the bathroom. Pete is on the other side, sitting on the edge of his bed, and Patrick has to remind himself to breath because Pete has never looked better. He is the definition of tall, dark, and handsome in the black suit, save for the ridiculous bowtie. He smiles at Patrick— it’s a small smile, but it lights up his face beautifully— and Patrick’s heart skips a beat.
“Look at you,” Pete says reverently.
Patrick glances at himself in the mirror again. “You did a good job. It fits perfectly.”
Pete nods, still smiling. “Yeah, it does.” His smile twists into something a little more playful. “Ready for hair and makeup?”
“Makeup, sure. But I don’t think that paint would come out of my hair without bleach.”
Pete laughs, getting up from the bed. “Fair enough. I mean, I’m not painting my hair white.”
“Thank god for that,” Patrick says, pointedly not looking at Pete while he bends over to retrieve face paint from his cabinet. “We’d be here all night.”
Patrick and Pete sit down on the edge of the bathtub. All Patrick has to do is stay still unless Pete asks him to turn his head or look a certain way, but it turns out to be harder than he expected. He trusts Pete with a pencil of eyeliner, that’s not the issue, but every time Pete touches his face with a warm hand to turn him or fix a stray line Patrick has to fight a shiver. Lily pokes her head in while Pete’s in the middle of painting the stitches coming from the corners of Patrick’s mouth, asking about snacks and how much longer before they’re going to leave, but the whole time she’s looking at the two of them like she knows something they don’t, and it leaves Patrick a little unnerved.
Pete gives Patrick the all-clear, then wipes his hands off before getting started on his own makeup. He doesn’t tell Patrick to leave, so Patrick doesn’t move from his spot. He kind of likes watching Pete apply his own makeup, the way he tilts his head back and forth to make sure he didn’t miss a spot. Patrick’s also impressed that Pete can carry a conversation with him and slather a layer of white face paint on at the same time. He doesn’t even make a mess in the process; Patrick expected there to be drops of paint everywhere, flecking his collar and the ends of his sleeves, but the only thing dirty is Pete’s fingertips, smudged with black and white paint.
Pete finishes his makeup much quicker than he finished Patrick’s. He turns his head this way and that, spot-checking his work, then puts his hands on his hips and glances at Patrick in the mirror with a small smile. “I don’t think I did half bad.”
Patrick smiles back, standing. “Not half bad at all.”
They exit the bathroom together. When the kids look up and see them, they cheer in delight wasting no time grabbing their candy buckets and trying to usher Pete and Patrick out the door. The five of them are all smiles: Lily, Percy, and Elton are filled with excitement, a mini gang of soon to be sugar-high ghouls, while Patrick, and presumably, Pete, are so fucking happy to see their family so happy.
Pete locks his front door, slipping his keys and his phone into a pocket inside his jacket. The kids are already a few feet ahead of them, and Lily is telling the boys to hold her hands and watch for cars. Pete smiles at the three of them, soft but radiant, then turns to Patrick and says, “Let’s go, Trick.” He starts walking, and Patrick follows.
Patrick doesn’t even notice that Pete grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers until they’re four houses in, and by then he’s so used to the warmth of Pete’s palm against his that he can’t bring himself to pull away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the night goes something like this:
They trick-or-treat well into the night. It’s ten o’ clock at the earliest when they finally get back to Pete’s house. The kids sprawl out on the living room floor and exchange candy (Lily, the oldest and least pickiest of the three, ends up with twice the amount she started with) while Pete and Patrick talk about the coolest costumes they saw, nursing cold beers. Elton is pretty tired by the end, and Patrick is pretty sure he’s going to fall asleep in the car on the way home, but Pete says, “He can stay the night, if it’s alright with you. He and Percy can sleep on the floor in Lily’s room.” Patrick agrees without a fight, and together he and Pete move enough cushions into Lily’s room for the boys to sleep on, putting towels under their heads to prevent their sheets from getting ruined in the process.
The three are out within a half hour of lying down.
Patrick and Pete stay up a little bit longer. They watch Ghostbusters, drink two more beers each, and get closer and closer on the couch. Their arms are brushing, then Pete’s head is on his shoulder, and when the movie ends, Pete whispers, “You can stay, too, if you want.” There’s no double-meaning, they’re both too sleepily buzzed for that, but it still sends shivers down Patrick’s spine to feel the heat of Pete’s breath on his neck when he says it. Once again, Patrick goes without a fight.
Patrick wakes up in Pete’s bed, wearing a pair of Pete’s pajamas. He’s toeing the line between asleep and awake, lingering in that state where his head is nothing but observations and sensation. It can’t be later than seven or eight, the sunlight coming in through the window is so soft. The house is still and quiet; the kids must be sleeping in. The bed is warm, but everywhere Patrick isn’t covered by the sheets is cold. He twists and turns a little, pulling the covers around himself tighter. He catches sight of Pete and falls still.
Patrick has imagined waking up next to Pete plenty of times. Most of the time, he imagines Pete laying on his chest, or vice versa, that they’d stir slowly, give each other sleepy smiles, and delay getting out of bed as long as possible. He imagined how warm Pete would feel against him, how pretty he’d be, smiling at Patrick with half-closed eyes and fluffy bed hair. Now, Pete’s face is so peaceful, Patrick wouldn’t wake him if the world were ending. His hair is just as messy as Patrick thought it would be, tangled and spread out on the pillow. His mouth is hanging open, just slightly, huffing soft breaths into the sheets between them. He’s on his side, facing Patrick, lying close enough that they could be touching, but they’re not.
Patrick lays there for a moment, watching Pete sleep. His chest fills with warmth, and he can’t help himself. Half-asleep and soft with the intimacy of the moment, Patrick reaches out and lays a hand on Pete’s cheek. Pete shifts, but doesn’t wake up. His skin is warm with sleep, and Patrick can feel the scrape of stubble against his palm. Patrick strokes the line of Pete’s cheekbone with his thumb a few times before letting his eyes fall shut, shifting the slightest bit closer to Pete’s sleeping form.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pete knows as soon as he wakes up that Patrick is touching his cheek because he’d recognize Patrick’s touch anywhere. Sure, it’s common sense that it would be Patrick, because that’s who he fell asleep with last night, but only Patrick’s hands are this warm, soft everywhere but his fingertips where playing guitar has left him with calluses. Pete can’t help turning his face into the touch, seeking more of the warmth Patrick holds in his palm. Patrick’s fingers twitch, just a little, and Pete opens his eyes.
Patrick is so, so close. His eyes are half-open, watching Pete with intensity. A small, fond smile graces his lips when he realizes Pete’s awake. There’s a pillow crease bisecting his cheek. He’s almost glowing in the soft morning light, an aura of peace surrounding him. Pete wants wrap himself up in it and stay here with Patrick forever.
“Good morning.” Patrick’s voice is rough with sleep, but quiet like he’s worried he’ll wake up the kids two doors down. To Pete, it’s never sounded lovelier.
“Morning,” Pete says with a smile. “Sleep well?”
Patrick nods. “Better than I have in a while.”
Pete knows the feeling.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, there are alarm bells going off when he scoots closer to Patrick. If he’s reading this moment wrong, there’s no telling what kind of shit would go down. Their knees brush, and Pete leans his forehead against Patrick’s, and he’s too content to listen to the panicked voice in his head. It doesn’t stop his heart rate from skyrocketing, but he watches Patrick’s eyes fall shut and his head tilt that much closer and it doesn’t feel like a violation when he puts his hand on Patrick’s waist. Patrick’s hand is still on his cheek, stroking his thumb over Pete’s skin. Pete closes his eyes, and a little bit of terror floods him when he squeaks out, “Can I kiss you?”
Patrick closes the gap between them without a word.
Pete sees lightning strike behind his eyelids. Patrick kisses him softly, and Pete relaxes against him and kisses him back. Patrick presses closer and cups his face. Pete hums and kisses him deeper, shifting until Patrick is on his back with Pete hovering over him. Patrick sighs into the kiss and tangles a hand in Pete’s hair, making Pete groan when he gives it a gentle tug.
They break away for air, and Pete thinks, This is it. This is when shit hits the fan. But Patrick smiles, twisting a lock of Pete’s hair around his finger. His face is the prettiest shade of pink Pete’s ever seen, and he can’t help leaning down and kissing his cheeks. Patrick giggles, actually giggles, and the next thing he knows they’re kissing again and Pete stops thinking.
Pete doesn’t know how much time they spend kissing. He knows that the morning chill fades away pretty quickly, and that it doesn’t take long to make Patrick to let out a breathy moan when Pete bites at the underside of his jaw, and that it feels like heaven when Patrick sucks on his bottom lip. Neither of them are in rush, but they can’t stop touching, sliding their hands over each other’s back and sides even before clothes are taken off. It feels like an eternity before Patrick finally slips his hands under Pete’s shirt. Pete shudders when he does, arching into the touch, then pulls away to get rid of his shirt altogether.
And, of course, because the universe has impeccable timing, that’s when there’s a knock on the door.
Pete and Patrick freeze at the same time. They lock eyes, and Pete can only imagine how he looks but Patrick is a gorgeous mess; his hair is askew, eyes dark and sparkling like the ocean at night, mouth half-open and swollen, and Pete really doesn’t want to leave this moment. Pete slowly lowers his shirt back down and he can see a flicker of disappointment in Patrick’s eyes.
“Dad?” Percy whispers loudly from the other side of the door. “Are you awake? I’m hungry.”
Pete clears his throat. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.” He lowers his voice and tells Patrick, “He’ll probably want cereal or something. I’ll be back in a few.”
Patrick nods. “Okay.” Pete goes to stand, but Patrick stops him with a hand on his shoulder. He smooths down Pete’s hair and, after a moment of hesitation, leans in and kisses his cheek. If Pete’s knees wobble a little when he tries to walk, no one has to know.
The panic seeps in while he’s pouring the milk for Percy’s Lucky Charms. It’s not quite a flood, because Patrick kissed him, and there’s no way Patrick can kiss him like that, can look up at him like he hung the stars, if he doesn’t feel the way Pete feels. He didn’t fuck anything up.
Yet.
And that’s where Pete has to put down the milk jug and breathe for a minute. He takes ten deeps breaths, in for four, hold for seven, out for eight, and finishes making Percy’s cereal. Percy is curled up on the couch, flicking through the cartoon channels, and Pete feels no shame when he ruffles his son’s hair for a little longer than normal after setting his bowl down on the coffee table. Percy smiles up at him, and the panic slows a little bit more, but he still has to take another minute before he goes back to the bedroom to face Patrick. He uses the time to start the coffee pot, because he doubts he’s going to go back to sleep today no matter how the next half hour goes.
When Pete feels a little less shaky, he goes back to his room. Patrick lifts his head up as Pete kneels on the side of the bed. He offers Pete a smile and holds out his arms, and Pete falls into them gladly. He seems to sense that Pete’s not in the mood anymore, because all he does is pull Pete to his chest and lay his head against Pete’s. Pete buries his face in Patrick’s neck and sighs in content, wrapping his arms around Patrick and tuning in to the rise and fall of his chest.
Patrick kisses the top of his head and says, not unkindly, “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”
“A little,” Pete admits.
They’re both quiet for a moment, and Pete’s heart starts racing again.
“Breathe, Pete. It’s okay.” Patrick pulls back and tilts Pete’s head up so they can lock eyes. “I’m kind of freaking out, too.”
Pete’s eyes widen. “You are?”
Patrick hums and nods. “I thought I was reading too much into things, and that I was making a big deal out of nothing when you asked me to dress up with you. Knowing that I wasn’t… it’s a little overwhelming, I’m not going to lie.” He huffs out a small laugh.
“Sorry,” Pete says, for lack of anything else to say.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Patrick says with a shake of his head. “It’s a lot to take in, but Pete, I trust you. You know that, right? I wouldn’t—“ he takes a deep breath— “I wouldn’t have stayed the night, or kissed you if I thought something bad was going to happen if I did.”
That checks out. Patrick’s not that impulsive. Pete reburies his face in Patrick’s neck. “I just don’t want to fuck this up. You and Elton are family, and I don’t want to lose you guys. I love you two so fucking much.” He didn’t mean to say that last part out loud, and his breath hitches and he thinks, Shit, now we’re done for.
“Pete, we love you too. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you either. I’m terrified, too.”
Pete relaxes a little. He pulls away to look at Patrick’s face. His eyes are so wide, so blue, and so full of desperation. Pete swallows hard and holds onto Patrick a little tighter. “I just,” he starts. “Being in a relationship changes things, you know?” Patrick nods. “And as much as I want to be with you— and trust me, I really, really do— I’m scared that we’re not going to work that way and everything’s going to fall apart.”
“I don’t think everything would fall apart, but I get where you’re coming from.” Patrick starts stroking Pete’s hair, and Pete’s eyes flutter shut. “There’s nothing guaranteeing we would work.”
They fall silent. Pete goes back to hiding his face in Patrick’s neck, and no matter what happens he hopes this cuddling becomes a new thing they do, because Patrick is warm and feels like safety.
“Listen,” Patrick says, still playing with Pete’s hair. “We don’t have to have everything figured out right now, right?”
“Right,” Pete says.
“And I mean, we don’t have to dive in head-first if it’s just going to cause us both to panic.”
“That definitely wouldn’t be a good place to start from.”
“Exactly. So we should just take things slow. Right? We don’t have to get married this minute or anything. We can start small.”
Pete moves back so he can see Patrick face again. “The next time the kids are gone and we hang out, we can call it date night,” he suggests.
Patrick beams. “Yeah, like that. We don’t have to go anywhere, either. We can just do what we normally do.”
Pete smiles back at him. “Just with more cuddling, and more making out."
Patrick laughs. “Exactly.”
And then, because he can now, Pete leans in and kisses Patrick gently, and he can feel the smile on Patrick’s lips as he kisses back. He pulls back, giving Patrick one last peck because he can’t help himself, and asks, “So what now?”
Patrick twirls a lock of Pete’s hair around his finger, just like he earlier between kisses, and Pete finds himself a little more than endeared by the gesture. Patrick shrugs one shoulder. “We can lay here and cuddle, at least until it’s time for breakfast.”
Pete nods, cuddling up to Patrick once again. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
“And hey,” Patrick says quietly after a minute. “If at any time either of us think something isn’t working, we can talk about it. Then we can decide how to fix it, or if we just want to go back to normal. No harm, no foul. So starting small is good because it wouldn’t be hard to go back, right?”
Pete hums. “Yeah, that’s true.” He nuzzles the side of Patrick’s neck. “You’re very wise,” he says sleepily.
Patrick chuckles. “Thanks, I try.” He drops a kiss to the top of Pete’s head, and Pete thinks, God, I hope this is the new normal.
A thought comes to Pete, and he lifts his head up again. “Hey, can we make pancakes together?”
“Absolutely.”
“With chocolate chips in them?”
“Sure.”
“Fuck yeah.”
Pete doesn’t go back to sleep, but he gets pretty close. Patrick doesn’t go back to sleep either, but he stays awake, stroking Pete’s hair and humming softly. They don’t pull themselves out of bed until chatter emanates from the living room, signaling that Elton and Lily are up. They drink their coffee together, make pancakes, corral the kids into the dining room, and eat breakfast together. It’s loud and messy, and Pete and Patrick are trying not to give away any sign that things are different, but their feet are touching under the table and the smiles they exchange are a little softer than before.
It’s the picture of domesticity; it’s everything Pete wants.
Patrick and Elton stay until after lunchtime, after the kids have showered and stained the bathtub a mucky brown. They hug goodbye, holding on longer than normal, and Patrick promises to call him later.
As soon as the door shuts, Pete hears someone clear their throat behind him. He turns around to see Lily standing with her hands on her hips and a triumphant grin on her face. “Do you believe that everything’s going to be okay NOW?”
Pete should’ve known she would notice. He smiles. “Yeah, I do.”
The rest of the day goes normally, and it’s not until after the kids’ bedtime that Patrick calls. Pete’s curled up on the couch, sipping a glass of wine, cozy in his pajama pants and sweatshirt. He answers the phone without hesitation. “Hey, Pattycakes.”
“Hey, Pete. How are you feeling?”
Pete sighs and closes his eyes. “Good. Percy and Lily helped me make dinner for once. Lily was really aggressive with her vegetable chopping though, so I think I’m going to have to keep an eye on her as she gets older and more angsty.”
Patrick laughs on the other end. “Middle school brings out the worst in us, I suppose.”
Pete hums. “And high school.”
“Hey, so I was thinking,” Patrick starts after a minute. “The kids are going to be gone next weekend, right?”
“Yeah.”
Patrick pauses. “I, um, I know we said we were going to start slow and maybe stay in for date night—“ Pete’s heart flutters at the word “date”— “but maybe we go out, too? We could go see a movie or something, it would still be low-key.”
“Yeah,” Pete says with a smile. “I’d love to.”
“Awesome,” Patrick says, sounding relieved. “Cause I think we’re going to my mom’s for Thanksgiving this year, but I don’t think she’d mind if we invited three more.”
Pete laughs. “I can’t wait.”