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When David gets back from adding their trash bags full of empty plastic cups and crumpled napkins to the garbage bins behind the building, a sense of calm has settled over the apartment. The lights are off except for a lamp by the bed, and there’s soft music playing.
“Here,” Patrick says, handing David a glass of wine. David frowns, because he’s had enough to drink tonight that he’s been tipsy and back again, but when he takes a sip he understands – it’s one of their reserve bottles from the store, a rich, fragrant red that is meant to light up your senses, not dull them.
Patrick has ditched his baggy pajama set and is wearing a soft gray t-shirt and blue striped bottoms. He looks more like himself, warm and familiar. David runs his free hand down the center of his chest as they settle on the couch, knees touching as they curl towards each other.
David examines Patrick’s face, studiously neutral, his posture not quite matching his efforts to create a cozy atmosphere. David knows Patrick was nervous about tonight. It was his first time hosting something like this in Schitt’s Creek – a game night at Ray’s isn’t the same as throwing a party in your own place – and he was invested in having it go well. For all of Patrick’s outward confidence, Patrick still sometimes feels like the new kid in town, and letting all these people into his private space isn’t as easy for him as he made it seem.
But Patrick had kept his chin up throughout, even when the guest list had gotten a little out of control, with friends from his baseball team inviting another group of players, and Jake declining (thankfully) but apparently spreading the word around first. When Patrick chose the high school sleepover theme he hadn’t intended it to be the kind of party that wound up wrecking the house and causing neighbors to call the police. Luckily it hadn’t gone quite that far.
David takes a long sip of wine and then sets his glass down on the coffee table. He would have been okay with getting directly into bed after the night they’ve already had, but Patrick seems to need something else. “Come here,” he says, holding out his arms, and Patrick slides into them. “You okay?” he asks, feeling Patrick relax against him as he rubs his hands up and down Patrick’s arms.
“Yeah.” Patrick finishes his wine and puts his glass down, then settles back against David. “Is it weird that I’m glad the party’s over?”
David shakes his head. “Nope. I’ve certainly had enough connecting with people for one night.”
“Except me, I hope,” Patrick says, tilting his head up for a kiss.
“Except you, of course.” David kisses Patrick a few times for good measure. Patrick tastes like the merlot, cherries and chocolate, opening easily for David. “Anyway, all your guests had a good time. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I guess.”
“Everyone went home with a story to tell and pictures to post. That’s what people want from a party.”
Patrick shifts and looks at him. “What kind of stories?”
David strokes the back of Patrick’s head, pulling him close again. “They’ll talk about how cute we looked in our matching pj’s, and how you provided just the right amount of liquor and jello shots to help make their adolescent dreams come true, except this time without the braces and acne.”
“Including spin the bottle.”
“Including spin the bottle,” David repeats. He hesitates, unsure about revisiting a sore subject, but he figures Patrick wouldn’t have brought it up if there wasn’t something left to discuss. “Is that still bothering you?”
Patrick takes David’s hand and rubs his thumb along the silver rings. “I’m not sure. I can’t stop thinking about it. I don’t know why.”
“That’s okay.” David runs the mess over in his head – Ted’s overly enthusiastic kiss; Patrick pouting in the corner with Alexis. The affronted look on Patrick’s face when Alexis took off her heels before leaning in to kiss him. Patrick standing stock still as Alexis hummed theatrically against his lips.
“Actually,” David says, “I think I owe you an apology.”
Patrick tilts his head and catches David’s gaze, his brown eyes looking almost black in the dim light. “No you don’t. You were right, what you said before. I made you play that game, and the fact that Ted gets flirty when he drinks is on him. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But I shouldn’t have suggested that you and Alexis kiss. You didn’t like that.”
David can feel Patrick still in his arms. David squeezes his hand gently and waits, giving Patrick space to answer. It makes him feel uneasy when Patrick is uncomfortable. David wants to do this right, with Patrick. He wants to do everything right with him. It’s hard sometimes, because trolling each other is practically their love language, but occasionally something will throw Patrick off course that David hadn’t anticipated.
David wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to put his foot in his mouth tonight. The scene was ripe for disaster, and given David’s track record, he’s lucky it wasn’t worse. But if someone had asked David why Patrick might get annoyed at him during the party, he would have guessed his inability to keep his opinion about the inappropriate snacks to himself, or his visible distaste for beer in cans, not because of the fallout from a childish party game.
“Alexis kissing me wasn’t a big deal,” Patrick says finally, but David can hear the uncertainty in his voice. He kicks himself for not catching it sooner.
“It’s okay if it was.”
Patrick takes in a long breath and lets it out slowly. “I appreciate you saying that. But I could have stopped her. It was consensual – it wasn’t even sexual. She might as well have been bopping my nose. I don’t know why it’s bothering me.”
David doesn’t think it was quite the same as a bop on the nose, if for no other reason than the way Patrick looked when Alexis did it. David twines their fingers together and brings their hands up to his chest. “Well, whatever it was or wasn’t, for my part in it, I’m sorry.”
Patrick’s eyes search his face, and the tension leaves his expression. He cups David’s cheek and turns his face towards him. “You’re really something, David Rose.”
David leans into Patrick’s touch, and Patrick’s fingers weave into his hair. “I’m glad you think so.” They move together, exchanging soft kisses, neither of them with the energy to do much more than that. But it’s all it takes for the nerves in David’s stomach to calm, the perfect pressure of Patrick’s lips against his own washing away all the uncertainties of the night. After a few minutes David tugs Patrick closer, nearly onto his lap, and Patrick nestles against him, his head in the crook of David’s neck.
“Wanna go to sleep?” David asks.
“Mmm, yeah.”
Patrick doesn’t move, and David laughs quietly against his short hair. “I didn’t mean right here.”
“Oh, is sleeping on the couch incorrect?”
“I just think we’d be better off in your extremely comfortable new bed.”
“Speak for yourself.” Patrick squirms a bit and pretends to settle in, sighing deeply.
He’s adorable, but David knows he’s just playing, and he’d rather they get off the sofa before one of them actually falls asleep. He manhandles Patrick off his lap and pulls him to his feet, Patrick soft and clingy as they make their way to bed. Patrick doesn’t show any sign of making a pit stop for skin care or dental hygiene at the moment, and David decides he can afford to skip a night as well. He’d rather stay close to Patrick.
They cuddle up, David’s head on Patrick’s chest and his knee pressed against Patrick’s leg. Patrick kisses his hair and rubs his back, and David considers that he never, ever felt this good after a party in his whole entire life.
“Being with you is better than anything I could have imagined in high school,” David says, tired enough that he’s not even embarrassed at the words that spill out of his mouth.
Patrick huffs out a little laugh and hugs David closer. “I think you know I never imagined anything like you in high school.” Patrick shifts and kisses David softly on the lips. “And David?”
“Hmm?”
“For the record, I was only ever jealous of Ted.”