Chapter Text
September
This is fucking bullshit. As a Junior, David should have priority choice of dorming options - but somehow, he got stuck living on a floor of Sophomores. Is this the worst thing? No - the perm Alexis got in 8th grade was the worst, but this was a close second. Thankfully, he at least had a single room all to himself, mostly because he didn’t know who he would have invited to live with him. Maybe Stevie, but she had dropped out last year, and as much as David missed her, he knew she had made the right choice.
The two of them had met Freshman year at NYU. Surprising to both of them, it seemed they were the only two normal people in their program at Tisch. They had become fast friends with their quick wit and constant poking and prodding. While David would never admit it to her face, he missed Stevie’s presence at school. Her level head had helped keep him afloat in the city. Thankfully, she was from Toronto, so he had been able to spend most of the summer with her, the two of them travelling between Toronto and Schitt’s Creek for those three months.
Was David nervous about making friends without Stevie? Yes. Was he adamantly refusing to admit that? Of course. The last two years it had been the two of them against the trust funds of NYU and it had been the best two years of his life. Now, David was back to being alone, something he was used to. David was unique by choice, alone by circumstance. Most people didn’t want to take the time to work past his prickly exterior, so good friends were hard to come by without changing himself.
David had spent the better part of his first day back on campus pouting while unpacking and starting the daunting process of decorating his room for the year, when a knock came at the door.
Wincing, David trudged toward the door, ready for an overly peppy RA to introduce themself and take up much more of David’s time than necessary. To his surprise, he didn’t open his door to an RA, but a broad shouldered boy with big round eyes.
“Hi, I’m Patrick”, Patrick held his hand out to David, who gently shook it. The intruder, Patrick, had boyish good looks and smiling eyes. David looked him over, taking in the cheap blue jeans and simple tee.
“David”, he offered.
Patrick smiled and David took note, “I know”, as he gestured to the nameplate some RA had positioned on his door. David groaned and snatched it down, throwing it unceremoniously into his room. “I live next door, and I just wanted to introduce myself!” Patrick said, hands on hips, playful smile on his face and David felt like maybe he was playing a prank on him.
“Why”? Despite the sourness on David’s face, Patrick’s smile doesn’t falter. This is new.
Patrick shrugged, “Seemed like the nice thing to do”. The noise David makes is supposed to be in agreement but comes out in more of a strangled gurgle, which only makes Patrick laugh.
“I have to finish packing, I mean unpacking, I-” he stumbles along, probably starting to get red.
Patrick just keeps smiling at him, like a fucking golden retriever. “No worries, I’m sure I’ll see you soon, David.”
November
The dorms have been getting emptier and emptier all week as students finish with class for the week and head home for Thanksgiving Weekend. Frankly, David is looking forward to some peace and quiet. His current plans involve using the empty art rooms to work on his projects, and taking long hot showers in the now quiet communal bathroom. While he had originally planned to go back to Schitt’s Creek for the holiday, there had been last minute changes to his mom’s shooting schedule and the whole family had left for LA for the week - sans him. David had decided staying in the city was the best option, so here he was, alone.
Taking advantage of the empty common room full of comfy sofas, David is making himself comfortable when he is interrupted by the clearing of a throat from behind him. Turning toward the noise, David is unsurprised to see Patrick Brewer, leaning against a door frame. He would like to pretend that his eyes don’t wander over Patrick’s broad shoulders and muscular thighs showing out from under his gym shorts.
“It’s 40 degrees outside.” Oops, he had been working on thinking before speaking.
“Hello to you too.”
David clears his throat, ignoring the self consciousness rising in his throat like bile, “You’re wearing shorts?”
Maybe it’s pity, maybe it’s genuine amusement, but Patrick just smiles and lets out a light laugh in response. He runs his hands through his short hair and looks down at his legs as a blush creeps onto his cheeks. “I was at the gym. Gotta stay in shape with baseball season right around the corner.” To David’s surprise, Patrick says all of this as he plops down in an armchair across from him.
“That’s the one with the bats?”
“And the bases.”
“Why don’t they call it batball?”
“Because there are bases.”
“That explains nothing, Patrick.” David should be offended by the smirk that is painted on Patrick’s face, but it’s pretty, and instead he almost feels like maybe this guy doesn’t think he’s a complete idiot.
Patrick pulls him out of his thoughts when he says, “what are you doing Thursday?”
David responds with a shrug.
“Well I know most people are going to be home since it’s Thanksgiving”, he begins, “but, if you’re staying here, I’m throwing a little something with some friends who are also stuck here. I’d love to have you join.”
He wants to say no, David works best alone, but Patrick is looking at him so hesitant that he can’t help but nod enthusiastically. As soon as Patrick smiles at him, he knows he made the right choice.
Two days later, David stands outside the address Patrick had texted to him, 30 minutes late because no sweater had felt correct for the occasion. Patrick had given him heads up that they would be meeting at his friend Ted’s apartment off campus for a “chill friendsgiving”, something David had never attended before especially because very few people considered him “chill” or a “friend”. God, he misses Stevie.
Just as he is about to knock on the door, he smells something burning and voices start to sound from inside the apartment - frantic voices. He hears what sounds like “open the windows, I’ll get the door” when he finds himself face to face with a slightly singed Patrick. His eyes widen when he sees David, and the slight look of terror on his face vanishes.
“Hey!”
David smiles at him, “everything okay in here?”
He instantly wishes he hadn’t said it as Patrick’s face falls, “Ted burnt the turkey.”
A loud and disgruntled “hey”, sounds from inside the apartment and a handsome man appears behind Patrick.
“Don’t put the blame on me, you were just as distracted by Mario Kart as I was”, the stranger smiles at David and reaches out his hand, “you must be David! I’m Ted.” David shakes his hand, enjoying the blush that’s crawling up Patrick’s cheeks.
An hour later, David has had his second helping of mac and cheese (the turkey was burnt beyond repair, but the mac and cheese more than made up for it), surprisingly enjoying himself in this room of strangers. Patrick has nice friends, Ted is funny despite his puns, Twyla is as wacky as she is sweet, and Rachel might be one of the most genuine people David has ever met.
David gets the story from Twyla, apparently Patrick and Rachel have been friends for as long as they’ve been on and off lovers. It seems they are currently off, but Twyla assures him they will be back on before they know it. He gets it, the two of them are perfect for each other and he tries his hardest to ignore the little pang in his chest when he sees Rachel smile at Patrick.
March
David has friends that aren’t Stevie. After winter break, he had been surprisingly happy to go to his first day of Statistics (a general ed requirement he had been putting off) to find Patrick in his class. Thank god, if not for Patrick, there is no way David would be passing that class. The two of them had gotten closer over the past term, with weekly study sessions turning into grabbing coffee after class, turning into movie nights at Ted’s with Patrick (and David’s) friends, turning into what David could only call friendship. It still felt foreign, but Patrick had been patient through David’s neurosis, overly firm opinions, and uncontrollable eye rolls.
As much as David likes having friends, it’s Patrick’s companionship that means the most to him. They’ve become close, late nights in study rooms have broken them both open. Patrick had opened up to David one late night that he didn’t know why he kept getting back together with Rachel (after they had gotten back together over the holidays). David had told Patrick about his life before Schitt’s creek. Neither of them ever judge the other, except maybe over pizza toppings.
Every Tuesday night is study night for them. This Tuesday, David is five minutes early and Patrick is fifteen minutes late - not a usual occurrence for either party. David wouldn’t think much of it if Patrick’s eyes didn’t look puffy, like he’d been crying. Patrick walks calmly into the study room, sitting down and pulling out his laptop. David watches carefully until Patrick looks up and their eyes lock. David raises an eyebrow and Patrick’s face falls.
“We broke up.”
David hums, sympathetic.
“I just couldn’t -”
Instead of responding, David simply reaches across the table and grabs Patrick’s hand. Patrick looks up to meet his eyes and David squeezes his hand before saying, “fuck studying, this calls for ice cream.”
David wishes he could make Patrick smile that widely every fucking day.
May
It’s not that David is embarrassed by Stevie, it’s just that he doesn’t trust her to be on her best behavior in front of his new friends and especially Patrick. He’d been excited for weeks that Stevie was going to be able to come down right after finals, but now that she was actually here he was getting nervous. What if she didn’t like them? What if they didn’t like her? Thankfully, his fears had been instantly quelled when they had shown up to Ted’s door, Stevie firmly grasping a handle of vodka in one hand and a bag of Takis in the other. Ted had flung the door open, obviously already a drinks deep, seen Stevie’s full hands and loudly turned back into the apartment to announce that David’s friend had shown up with sustenance. A resounding cheer from inside followed. Just like they had welcomed David, they welcomed Stevie. Sans Rachel, the whole crew was there plus some second tier friends from school and the party felt like something he would have found himself at in Schitt’s Creek. Cheap beer, beer pong, and drunken happiness sounded throughout the apartment, and for once, David was really a part of it.
Stevie and Patrick bonded too quickly over their mutual love of teasing David and they absolutely demolished David and Twyla in beer pong. David had never felt this at ease at a social event, he took shots with Ted, sang along to Mariah with Twyla, and laughed at Patrick trying to learn “the floss”. The night came and went and soon it was time for Patrick, Stevie, and David to walk the few blocks back to the dorm.
David should be surprised to see Stevie stumbling down the sidewalk, with her arm around Patrick’s shoulder - but even with her tough exterior, he knows that Patrick is nice enough to crack the toughest nut. He smiles, as he walks behind them - watching, until he sees Patrick turn and grin at him.
“David, “ he raises the arm not around Stevie, “get in here!” David lets himself laugh as he shuffles forward and lets Patrick’s arm fall over him. The three of them stumble home together, arm in arm.
It’s not until later that night, Stevie cuddled up on the floor next to David’s twin bed, that Stevie surprises David.
“I like this for you.”
Half asleep, Daid raises his head and gives her a confused grunt. Stevie looks up at him, eyes shining.
“I like him for you.”