Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Good evening shoppers! There appears to be a severe blizzard warning for this area, so it appears it'll will be difficult to leave until at least tomorrow morning. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we will provide sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets to the few of you that are still here tonight. This is probably the least busy we've ever been, as there's only twenty of you. Well we are a small mall...why am I saying this? Oops. Anyway, have a goodnight." A mall associate called over the speakers. "OH ONE MORE THING!" They said as they started the announcement system again. "Blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags can be found at the customer service desk. Okay yeah that's it bye." 

Pete chuckled as his boyfriend of ten years, Patrick, sighed. "Aw come on Trick," Pete laughed. "Lighten up a little." 

"But I'm tired and it's like nine o'clock. We were gonna go home, order pizza, and watch movies as we cuddled on the couch," he grumbled. 

Pete just laughed, "So, we can do that tomorrow night. I mean yeah tomorrow's Christmas Eve but hey, not like we were gonna go anywhere anyway." Patrick sighed in reply and nodded, pressing himself against Pete's side. The latter grinned as put an arm around his boyfriend's waist, before kissing the top of his head. 

"Fags," they heard muttered behind them. Patrick whipped around and glared at the teenage fuckboy, who's eyes went wide immediately, muttered some apology, and ran. 

Patrick smirked and laughed maniacally. "My god I love having tattoos and piercings sometimes." 

"I love them too," Pete smirked, wiggling his eyebrows and biting his lip. Patrick slapped Pete's stomach lightly with the back of his hand. Pete laughed and put his arm back around Patrick's waist. 

"You're such a little shit," Patrick mumbled. Pete laughed again, throwing his head back, causing his glasses to nearly fall off his face, making him and Patrick both laugh harder. 

Their laughter died down as they made their way to near the customer service desk. Patrick looked down at his feet, because he may dress like a punk and speak his mind, but he was shy as hell. Pete released him, standing in front of him. He wrapped his arms around Patrick's waist and kissed his forehead. "I'll handle it, don't worry." Patrick grinned at him thankfully, before Pete turned and walked over to the lady at the desk. "Two pillows and sleeping bags please?" 

"Mate you sure you don't need one?" She said, winking. "I'M SO SORRY OH MY LORD!" She shouted. "Fuck damn okay I'll get you your shi -- stuff lord god okay give me a second." Pete just laughed as she went to the back. She came back with what he had asked for. "I was the girl on the announcement too. Makes sense huh?"

 Pete just said, "Yeah kinda. But you just make my day better so thanks. Have a great night!"

"Doubt that'll happen but thanks anyway," she sighed. 

Pete returned to where Patrick was standing, except -- oh he had a child with him. The brunette raised his eyebrows and Patrick just smiled at him. "Hey Pete. This is Declan, and he can't find is administrator."

"His administrator?" Pete questioned, smiling at the strawberry blonde boy. 

"I'm an orphanage!" The boy told him. "No wait. An orphan. I live in an orphanage," he giggled. Patrick laughed and the boy smiled. Pete's heart melted a little. 

"How old are you? Are you old enough to be on your own?" Patrick asked. 

"I'm only five so no," the boy told him. "Please help me find her! She'll get in trouble if I'm lost." Declan's eyes went wide before he started crying. 

"Okay hey, don't cry," Patrick cooed, moving to kneel on one knee in front of Declan. "There's no need, we'll help you find her I promise." The boy ran forward and wrapped his arms around Patrick, crying into his hoodie and jacket. Patrick hugged him back before asking, "What does she look like?"

"She has really cool purple hair and metal in her ears and nose like you," Declan sniffed, pulling away and wiping his eyes. 

"Hey is that her?" Pete asked, pointing to a lady that fit his description, not to far away. 

"Ms. Smith!" Declan shouted, running over to the lady. She hugged him tightly, before mouthing a 'thank you' to Pete and Patrick, who both smiled and waved back. 

"Let's go find a corner to be homosexual in," Patrick joked. Pete laughed and adjusted his glasses as Patrick took a sleeping bag and pillow. They interlocked hands and went to a completely empty section of the mall, as most people chose to stay near the entrance and had already settled there for the night. The laid down their sleeping bags near a wall and propped their pillows against them, lying down on top of the bags, which were placed right next to each other. Patrick took of his leather jacket and hoodie as Pete shed his own coat, placing them onto the floor next to him. "Ha, nerd," Patrick teased, looking at Pete's green sweater vest and white button down shirt. 

"Ha, emo," Pete teased bag, tugging gently at Patrick's plain black t-shirt. They both stuck their tongue out at the other and they slid their shoes off (Pete had on converse and Patrick combat boots, which, when paired with his black skinny jeans, made him emo). Patrick opened his arms and Pete lay his head on the other's chest, feeling Patrick's tattooed arms wrap around him. "You know I should take my glasses off," he chuckled, before sliding the black frames off and placing them on the floor next to his shoes. "Go to sleep Trick," he muttered. Patrick nodded, before his eyes drooped shut and he drifted off. 

Three hours later at about one in the morning, Pete still hadn't been able to sleep, so he was leaning against the wall, no longer cuddling with Patrick, as he wrote into the notepad app on his phone. In addition to being an English teacher, he was working on a book, and it was almost finished. One of their friends from high school, Brendon, was now the owner of a very famous publishing company, and promised Pete he would get someone to edit and publish his book, as long as it was decent. Patrick, who was lying next to him, shivered violently. Pete couldn't blame him; he could see the snow falling when he looked through the window above him, and had felt it get colder by a few degrees. "I told you you would get cold, you dork," he whispered fondly, placing his warm jacket over Patrick's torso, and deciding to lay down behind him. Patrick subconsciously grabbed the arm Pete was putting around him and pulled it tighter to his own body. "Night love," Pete yawned, falling asleep finally. 

~~**~~

"Pete wake up," Pete heard someone say in his ear. He groaned and opened his eyes to see Patrick leaning above him. "Hey there Sleeping Beauty," Patrick joked fondly. "They're saying we can leave whenever. It's only like eight and not many people are awake. We can leave whenever you want." 

"Just let me wake up a little and then we can return this stuff and leave," Pete yawned. Patrick grinned and kissed the top of his head. Pete smiled and looked up at him, squinting, before accepting his glasses from Patrick. He yawned before pulling his shoes on, and stood up next to Patrick, who was already fully ready and had his jackets on. 

"Oh, why was your coat on top of me when I woke up?" He asked. 

"You were shivering. I told you you would be cold in just a t-shirt," He grinned. Patrick's cheeks turned slightly pink, but he grinned thankfully. "Alright let's go." He grabbed his sleeping bag, rolling it up, and the pillow, before taking Patrick's as well and returning them to the desk. The woman waved at them as they left the mall. "Merry Christmas!" Pete told her, receiving the same well wishing phrase back.

 He turned to Patrick who was looking at him with arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "Someone owes me pizza and cuddles, Mr. Wentz."

"Kinky," Pete teased. "But yeah, later. It's like nine in the morning." 

"Fine," Patrick grumbled, making his way to their car. Pete laughed and followed him. 

~~**~~

Later that night, after they ate about a pizza and a half, Patrick was curled up with his head on Pete's lap as they watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies at Pete demanding they had to since Patrick had somehow never seen them. "Oh is this the movie where the dudes like 'One does not simply...' And it became a meme?" 

"Yeah, a meme in like 2010," Pete laughed. 

"I hate memes. Yet you're Mr. Meme Queen," Patrick grumbled sleepily. Pete laughed and ran a hand through Patrick's pink bangs. 

"Oh I just remembered, my school is doing this thing where the teachers bring in their husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend or whoever they've got, if they have someone. And then said partner sits in class with them and can like answer questions about their relationship or just tell embarrassing stories about the other. You don't have to buy I've heard it's a lot of fun, especially for teachers who it's only their first year teaching at the school," Pete told him. Patrick yawned and sat up, resting his head on Pete's shoulder. 

"Yeah why not?" He yawned into Pete's neck. "Sounds like a fun chance to embarrass you. I'm assuming no piercings and covering up my tattoos is expected?" 

Pete burst out laughing, confusing Patrick completely. He continued that way for about a minute before gasping out, "God no! Oh you've never seen the principal's husband! Or the principal... But yeah it's just come as you are. There's no dress code except, well, clothes. They had to add that rule because apparently...actually I don't even know why that was added. But it's the Monday after vacation ends, as a way for the kids to relax on their first day back."

"I wish high school was the easy when we were there," Patrick yawned. Pete made a noise in agreement, wrapping his arms tighter around Patrick, who was nearly asleep. 

"Let's get you to bed," Pete chuckled. Patrick latched his arms and legs around Pete, who laughed and picked him up bridal style, carrying him to their bed. 

~~**~~

Patrick was sitting on the table in the front of Pete's classroom, swinging his black skinny jeans and boots clad legs back and forth as he tiredly sang David Bowie's Life On Mars. Pete looked up at him from where he was standing behind his desk. "I love your voice. You're singing's beautiful," Pete told him. Patrick looked down, but Pete could see him smiling. He walked over to Patrick and fixed the collar on his short sleeved black button down. "Do I have to fix that for you every time?" Pete teased. 

Patrick grinned and leaned forward to kiss him gently, except Pete got slightly carried away, and Patrick gasped at the feeling of Pete's tongue against his own, before there was a shout of, "Mr. Wentz!"

The broke apart like two teenagers being caught, to see a man with an impressive afro leaning on the doorframe. "Oh, hey Joe," Pete grinned. "Patrick, have you met Joe Trohman, the principal and my boss?"

"No I don't thing I have -- wait. JOE?" Patrick shouted, leaping off the table and running over to hug him. "I've missed you man!" He pulled apart from his best friend from high school, before looking back at Pete. "You didn't tell me?" 

"I wanted to surprise you, since Joe told me about this day at the beginning of the year," Pete told him. 

"How did Joe become a principal though when he graduated with us?" Patrick asked. 

"He's been here for three years, and I would've been able to work that long except we just moved back here this year and I didn't want to work anywhere else before this because Joe promised me a job," Pete explained. 

"Oh okay. Wait, you mentioned the principal having a husband. TROHMAN I'M OFFENDED! I wasn't invited to your wedding!" Patrick shouted, mock pouting. 

"That's because I'm not married," Joe told him, looking at Pete. 

"Oh I said husband didn't I? I mean boyfriend. Whoops," Pete laughed, shrugging. 

"Is it Hurley?" Patrick asked. Andy stepped into the room from the hallway, waving. "IT IS HURLEY YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" He laughed, hugging Andy tightly. 

"Dude, language," Joe scolded. "The students should be here in like two minutes, after they go to their lockers. No more making out!" Patrick laughed before making his way back to the table, before singing again. He was what Patrick referred to as a 'nervous singer', which meant that when he was nervous he would start singing, and sometimes he didn't even realize he was doing it. 

"I need to pee oh shit," Patrick mumbled, running out of the room and to the teacher's bathroom that Pete had showed him earlier. 

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO DRINK FIVE CUPS OF COFFEE!" Pete shouted after him. 

Patrick ran back and poked his head around the doorframe. "I WOK UP AT FIVE IN THE MORNING! I'M GONNA DRINK AS MUCH DAMN COFFEE AS I WANT!"

"LANGUAGE!" Pete called as Patrick ran back down the hall. 

"SORRY LOVE!" He heard shouted back. 

Pete laughed as the first students entered his room. "Hey guys," he called waving to them. They sat in the back and waved back, as the rest of the room filled up. "Okay so I know it's 'pry into teacher's lives through their relationships day', and I did bring someone, but he's a doof and drank five cups of coffee this morning." 

"You woke me up at five a.m. Peter," Pete heard someone tell him. He looked up and saw Patrick grinning at him, with his hands on his knees as his chest was heaving. "Also I just ran so you better be proud," he panted. 

Pete laughed, "Class this is Patrick. Patrick this is...uh...my class. They have name cards on their desks." Patrick stood up and waved at them, and they all looked shocked and stared back. 

"Is there something on my face?" He asked, wiping a hand over his face. 

"No, we're just shocked because when Mr. Wentz said he had a boyfriend, we imagined a sweater wearing little nerd like him, not a...for lack of a better word, punk," a girl in the back row told him. 

"Well...uh...Charlie," Patrick started after reading her name card, "I guess you could call me a punk. Oh and yeah, Pete's a total nerd."

"Rude," Pete grumbled. Patrick stuck his tongue out at him before he went to sit back on the table at the front. Pete sat next to him, and bumped their shoulders together. "Questions? Random things you want to know? I know you're all prying jerks so go ahead." 

"How did you two even get together and how long ago?" A boy asked. 

"Ten years ago and...Trick you wanna tell the story?" Pete asked. 

Patrick laughed at the memory of it, and Pete joined in for a good thirty seconds. "Okay so some kid called me a fa--a not nice word. So I beat him up. And when I tried to explain that to the principal she gave me detention. So, you know Mr. Trohman, your principal? Right well he let me borrow his spray paint and I was heading out to paint her car but I bumped into Pete. I snapped at him before I realized it was him, the kid I was crushing on big time. So anyway I painted the principal's car. Pete saw and made me buy him dinner to keep him quiet. So instead of saying yes, I pushed him against a wall and made out with him. Then like the smooth little man I am I used the whole 'I'll pick you up at six' line. That was our first date. I assumed everything wrong, that he didn't really want me to be a 'punk', and all that. We took my motorcycle, and Pete peed himself --"

"I did not pee myself!" Pete huffed. 

Patrick laughed and continued, "Pete didn't pee himself. But he did try and cuddle me while I was driving. Don't do that. So we went to a diner called Iero's --"

"WAIT HOLD ON YOU'RE PATRICK?" A blonde in the back shouted. "My dad's own that diner! I'm Quinn, I don't know if you remember me."

"QUINN YOU'RE MY LITTLE BUDDY OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU!" Patrick called back to them. "Alright anyway, Gerard, Quinn's dad, gave us one milkshake instead of two. There were a few dick jokes along the way and then -- language, I know Pete! Jeez, sorry! -- well then after that I awkwardly stuttered my way through asking him to be my boyfriend. We've been together ever since." 

"Aww," a few of the girls in class unisoned. Pete grinned and looked down, playing with the ends of his dress shirt that stuck out from under his purple sweater vest. "Do you still use your motorcycle?" One girl asked. 

"God no, I could die on that thing," Patrick told her. 

Pete stared at him with his eyebrows furrowed. "You didn't seem all that concerned about it in high school..."

"Well uh," Patrick trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. "I didn't really have much to live for in high school. I didn't even count you at the time, I thought you'd dump me after we graduated. But once you didn't and told me you weren't planning on it anytime soon...I um...you know...realized I did have something to live for. I had you," he muttered the last part, staring at his hands which were in his lap. 

Pete's eyes went wide and he got off the table, standing in front Patrick, before hugging him tightly. The latter could feel Pete start crying a little into his shoulder. Patrick put his arms around Pete's shoulders and held him for a minute, running a hand through his hair. 

"Mr. Wentz are you crying?" One of the kids, who was obviously a fuckboy, asked. 

"Yes I'm crying," Pete sniffed. "My boyfriend just told me I'm the reason he's still alive, you'd be crying too." He hopped back up onto the table next to Patrick and took off his glasses to wipe his eyes. 

"Hey at least you still don't wear eyeliner," Patrick joked.  

"MR. WENTZ IN EYELINER? CAN WE HAVE SOME DETAILS PLEASE?" A student shouted. 

"No that's okay--" Pete started. 

"Of course you can!" Patrick grinned. "So in our senior year, Pete was obsessed with straightening his hair and wearing eyeliner. He looked like a panda, so now I refer to him as Panda, since that little shit -- DUDE LITTLE DUDE I'M SORRY OKAY? -- is the nickname King. So I needed to give him one. Anything else you want to know?" 

"Yeah I have a question," a boy named Jack asked. "He either brings or buys pizza from the cafeteria everyday for lunch as a few of my friends and I have noticed. Does he ever eat anything but pizza?" 

"Well," Patrick said, smirking and tilting his head to the side. He wiggled his eyebrows twice, and everyone in the room except Pete burst into laughter. 

"I don't get it," Pete said. 

"Should I tell him?" The entire class shook their head no. "I'll tell him" he grabbed the collar of Pete's shirt and pulled his ear closer to his mouth to whisper. 

Pete's eyes went wide and his cheeks turned pink. "THATS NOT SOMETHING YOU SAY TO MY CLASS TRICK EVEN IF ITS TRUE!" He screamed, clamping his hands over his mouth immediately after. 

"PETER!" Patrick shouted, eyes going wide as he leaned back against his hands which were behind him. He burst out laughing as Pete went to stand in the closet out of shame. "Pete sweetie whenever you want to come out of the closet is fine. It's your decision!" Patrick teased. 

"I hate you," Pete grumbled leaving the closet. 

"Nope. You love me." Pete just rolled his eyes and swatted Patrick's arm when the latter kissed his cheek. 

~~**~~

The next morning Pete had told Patrick he would take him out to dinner that night for being awesome and waking up at five in the morning. He had made a reservation for six at Patrick's favorite restaurant, that was sometimes difficult to get reservations to. He was surprised he was able to, but it made more sense when he found out he reserved the last possible spot. 

After school ended, Pete figured he had time to grade the short stories the students had handed in yesterday that they had completed over break. He completely lost track of time, and when he looked back up, it was already 5:57. His heart sank, as his cellphone rang. Pete answered the call, which he saw was from Patrick (and not even the first one, fuck) as he stuffed the rest of the papers into his bag and ran out of the room. 

"Hey --"

"I'm so fucking sorry oh my god shit shit shit I got distracted by papers and I was only going to do a couple. But I was on a roll and zoned out I am so late I am so sorry," he rambled. 

"Pete honey it's okay, take a deep breath," Patrick told him. "We don't have to go it's okay."

"I'm sorry," Pete sighed. "I know it's your favorite place and we never go and I just messed that up for you, dammit." He climbed into the car and switched the phone over to the Bluetooth speaker that was built into the car, and he pulled out of the parking lot. "I'll make it up to you, I'll be home in five minutes and we can go somewhere else okay?"

"If you want to," Patrick replied. "I don't want you to get hurt so I'm going to hang up okay?"

"Okay. Love you," Pete told him. Patrick repeated it before hanging up. Five minutes later and Pete was stuck in traffic. He called Patrick again, the latter picking up on the second ring. "There's so much traffic and I just -- fuck I'm sorry," he choked out. 

"Hey no don't cry, Pete please don't cry," Patrick soothed. "It's not your fault there's traffic and you got carried away at school, it happens. I'm not mad or disappointed or anything I promise. Panda, I love you and I just want you to come home safe okay? If you're crying pull over please I -- I don't want you to get hurt." 

Pete sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I'm not crying anymore, I'll be home in like fifteen minutes or whenever." Patrick told him a final goodbye and hung up. About fifteen minutes later he finally got home, grabbed his bag and trudged towards the door. There was a bright pink sticky note waiting for him, right at eye level. 

Pete, 

Go to our room and put on the sweatpants and hoodie (which is your favorite. And also mine) that I put on our bed. There's another note on top. Don't ask questions and don't try to find me because then you'll ruin the surprise. ALSO PLEASE DONT GO INTO THE BASEMENT OKAY???? 

I love you!!!

-Patrick 

Pete smiled at the total nerd that was his boyfriend and walked inside, toeing off his shoes and throwing his bag down. He jogged towards their room and changed into the grey sweatpants and Patrick's black hoodie, before looking at the other sticky note, that was bright purple, and reading it. 

Okay, now you can go into the basement. I think. Uhh. Yeah okay come into the basement. That sounds creepy. I'm not gonna murder you, I swear! 

I

Love

You!!!

-pattycakes (I hate that nickname but I secretly love it because it's you < 3) 

Pete grinned slightly and jogged down to the basement. "Damn," he muttered. Blankets were all over the place, hanging from the walls and tables and all the other furniture, creating a fort. Patrick crawled out, and scrambled to his face. His hair was flattened against his forehead, and he didn't have any of his piercings in. Patrick was dressed similarly to Pete, in sweatpants and a hoodie, except he was barefoot, while Pete still had socks on. "What's this?" 

"Dinner and cuddling, my way," Patrick smirked. He crawled back under the blanket, and Pete followed. "Pizza and pillows. What's better? Nothing. Nothing is better. Not even my favorite restaurant." Pete stared at Patrick and sat next to him, leaning against the couch, which was one edge of the fort. Patrick managed to go all out in only about twenty minutes, so the blankets draped from the ceiling to the couch, and over the TV. "Also movies. But pizza and pillows sounds cool and you can't really add movies into that because it doesn't fit the alliteration. Oh but popcorn does and I have that too." 

Pete continued to stare at Patrick, before leaning forward and smashing their lips together. Patrick giggled, kissing Pete back, and pushing him down against the blankets under them, before pulling back. "You're amazing you know that? This was just one of...those days." 

Patrick's grin disappeared, "Shit did you take your meds?" Pete looked away from Patrick and shook his head. Patrick pecked his lips before crawling out of the fort. He returned a minute later with a glass of water and Pete's medication. The latter downed the pills and handed the now empty glass back to Patrick, who put them down and say back down next to Pete, immediately wrapping his arms around him. Pete curled his legs to his chest and hugged his arms, putting his head on Patrick's chest. The latter kissed the top of his boyfriends head, and drew in a shaky breath. 

Pete looked up at him questioningly. "You seem nervous. Are you nervous?" 

"I'm scared shitless. But fuck it. This isn't traditionally but this fucking morning it became legal so while you were at work, I bought this," Patrick stammered out, pulling a...an engagement ring out of his pocket and holding to Pete. "This is so far from traditional but I love you to the moon and back and I've waited seven years to do this. Pete will you please marry me and make me the happiest man on Earth?" 

Pete didn't trust himself to speak so he nodded frantically, smashing his lips back against Patrick's. He kissed him for a full minute, before he pulled away gasping for air, since he was crying as well. "Yes you nerd I love you so much oh my god." Patrick beamed and kissed him fiercely.

Let's just say Pete ate something other than the pizza again. 

Afterwards, Pete grabbed a blanket from the pile near the TV and threw it over them both. They had put pajamas back on and cleaned up from their 'fun' earlier. He snuggled up to Patrick, and held his hand out in front of him, staring at the ring. Patrick laced his own hand with the other's and kissed the top of his head. "This fort's gonna be a pain to clean up later."

Patrick raised an eyebrow at him, "Who said we're cleaning it up?"