Two Vatos Locos Full of Carnalismo and Inamoratos

Chapter 13: You've Been Playing With Matches Again, Haven't You?

Pete got the next flight into Chicago and Ryan was waiting to pick him up, alone. Mikey had wanted to come, Mikey always wanted to see Pete, but Ryan had asked if he could go alone, and everyone else had eventually agreed to the request. Ryan wanted to get the truth of what had happened.

On the phone, Pete had just cried and babbled about Patrick showing everyone something, Pete being betrayed, and another thing about publicity? Ryan wasn't sure. Josh had been so fucking understanding that Ryan planned on buying him a cake. He'd gone to the computer, buck ass naked, and looked up flights, even emailing the link to Pete when Ryan gave him the email address. Josh had made Ryan coffee and sent him off with a kiss. It was kinda amazing because usually Ryan would've been on the edge of a knife. But Josh was apparently really good at keeping Ryan calm without saying a word.

Now Ryan was in Gerard's car at the arrivals gate, looking for Pete with sharp eyes. Pete's plane had landed only ten minutes ago, but Ryan knew that Pete would be desperate to get to a familiar person just to keep himself safe.

Ryan saw Pete standing on a corner with no luggage and messed up, bleached hair.

Ryan honked the horn for Pete's attention, then pulled up beside him. It took Pete a few seconds to actually get his feet moving, and that was when Ryan saw how bad Pete looked. Gaunt features, his eyes sunk in, pale and shaky. He looked like a fucking mess and Ryan's heart twisted as he saw the pain in Pete's eyes.

Pete opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. "Hey," he greeted in a voice that shook.

"Hi," Ryan replied softly. "We're going to I-Hop, okay? Get some food in you."

"I'm not hungry," Pete rasped.

"Then coffee," Ryan countered. "I'm not taking you home yet. I want to talk to you for a bit, okay? Just for a bit. Then we'll get you home and you can sleep, alright? You're gonna stay in my room and I'll take the couch."

Pete made a face, managing to look annoyed.

Ryan smirked and nodded. "Right," he said. "We'll share the bed."

"You're damn right we'll share the bed," Pete huffed, staring out the window.

Ryan followed the lines of cars to the interstate, driving slower than he usually would so Pete wouldn't have any reason to panic over anything in Ryan's control. It was cold and icy and Ryan knew that Pete had to be suffering after spending so long in the L.A. eternal summers. A winter that didn't bring snow wasn't much of a winter in Ryan's book.

Ryan pulled into the nearest I-Hop and got them a table. Pete went straight to the bathroom and, at first, Ryan had been nervous. He had half a mind to check Pete's wrists if he stayed in there too long. But Pete came out in less than a minute with damp hair and droplets of water collected on his face, so Ryan didn't see much to be worried about. Pete sat in the booth Ryan had chosen and smiled shakily.

"H-hey," Pete greeted again.

Ryan waved two fingers. "Hey."

Pete looked at the menu like it was the next Nancy Drew novel. Ryan watched surreptitiously over the top of his own menu, scanning Pete's features for any sign to show he was getting worse.

Pete put the men down and put his elbows on the table, looking uncomfortable. "Aren't you gonna ask?"

Ryan shook his head. "You'll tell me when you're ready."

Pete grimaced. "What if I want you to convince me to tell you now?"

Ryan shrugged. "Then you tell me to convince you, and I will."