OPERATION: YOUNGBLOOD | Peterick

Chapter 8

"Don't even fucking talk to me right now. I can't believe this is happening." Pete sank down in his seat slightly. Patrick started mumbling. "I can't believe you fucking did this."

"Excuse me?" Pete immediately sat back up. "You're blaming this on me?"

"Well you were the one who initiated the sex and all of the other shit. And you heard yourself in there, you convinced me into it. Don't you remember me being so unsure, saying that it would never end well? Do you?"

"Yes, I do. And I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean it was all my fault. You were the one who made the huge show of kissing me in front of the other agent!"

"Oh I'm sorry. Forgive me for not automatically being able to tell if someone is undercover or not!" The two were now almost screaming at each other as Patrick continued to drive down the road.

"So you not knowing that she was undercover is okay, yet me not knowing we would get suspended is the absolute end of the world?  Wow, yeah, that totally seems fair."

"I'm not going to talk about this anymore."

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, you're not getting out of this that easily." Pete argued with a bitter laugh. "We can't just not work this out."

"Work this out!?" Patrick exclaimed. "Pete-"

"So what are we going to do then? Fight about this forever? Sorry to burst your bubble but I didn't really plan on that."

"Forever? What is all of this about? Did you really think we were staying together after all of this?" Pete immediately shut up, and after a few moments of silence, Patrick threw quick glances his way. "Wait, you really thought that?"

He didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, but you're crazy if you think I'm staying with you. You ruined my chances of having my dream job for God's sake!"

"Yeah, and I said I was sorry! And if you didn't realize, which I guess you didn't, I tried to save it for you."

"How!?"

"By saying I raped you! I was trying to keep you from getting punished!"

"You were sacrificing going to jail for me?"

"Yes!"

Patrick was stunned into silence. He couldn't believe his ears. "You just met me last week," he mumbled to himself. Pete heard it but didn't say anything.

The rest of the car ride was dead quiet and Patrick finally pulled into Pete's driveway. He unlocked the doors and his ex-partner climbed out and grabbed his bags from the backseat. Pete looked back at Patrick as he was walking up to his front porch, but Patrick simply looked away and put the car in reverse and drove off.

•••

It was at least two days later when Joe came by without any notice. Patrick had casually mentioned to him that he was suspended, but he didn't say why, how, or anything else in relation to the mission. It began to worry him that he didn't get any other replies from his best friend.

When Patrick heard the unexpected knock on his door, he halted in his cleaning and went to answer it. He was surprised to see Joe on his front step, especially because it was nearing dinner time and he should be home with his family.

"Oh hey Joe, do you want to come in?" His friend stepped in the house and Patrick closed the door with his hand that wasn't holding the feather duster. "What's up?"