Cause of Death {{PETERICK}}

//chapter twenty//

The next day, Patrick woke up in Pete's arms. He could tell it was early, but a quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed that it was only 7am. He wasn't quite sure when he and Pete had fallen asleep, or how they'd ended up in this position, but he certainly wasn't complaining about it. In fact, it was almost comfortable enough to help Patrick forget about the events of the previous day.

Almost, being the key word.

Patrick instinctively checked his phone and saw three missed calls, all of them from his mother. He let himself panic before he decided to call her again, since he didn't want all of those thoughts rushing through his head if the phone calls turned out to be for a positive reason. He couldn't stop worrying about whether his father was dead or not, but, while he desperately hoped that he wasn't, Patrick had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"Mom, what's wrong--"
"Patrick, you have to listen carefully because this is very important," said Mrs. Stump, obviously trying not to cry herself, "they couldn't save him. They said they tried their best, but these things happen. You know that, don't you?"
"Of c-course, b-but," Patrick stuttered, unable to hide his sadness as well as his mother, "why wasn't their best good enough for him... when it's good enough for other people?"
"These things just happen. The family is having a little get together tomorrow, it's short notice, but I do hope you can make it."
"I'll try," he mumbled, before hanging up and letting his mind wander again.

Patrick didn't think the phone call he had just had with his mother could have been worse than the one the day before, but apparently he was wrong. He didn't like how wrong he'd been over the past two days, but, then again, no one ever liked being wrong, so that was nothing too spectacular. However wrong Patrick's initial thoughts had been didn't change the reality of the situation, though, his father was dead. That was a heavy thought for him to take in, it would have been hard news for anyone to accept. Patrick hadn't been overly close with his father since he'd left home, but that didn't change the fact that he loved him. It also didn't change the fact that he was dead.

Even though Patrick knew Pete would understand him crying again, or even going back home, he decided to go back to sleep. Nothing was going to change the facts, so Patrick saw no harm in waiting until Pete woke up by himself to tell him. He almost felt guilty for not immediately wanting to cry again, but he pushed those thoughts out of his head. It wasn't really his fault, he was just being considerate of his boyfriend's sleep. It was actually quite surprising to Patrick that Pete hadn't been woken up by his conversation over the phone, but he had tried to be quiet to avoid waking him up, so he was glad it worked.

Patrick cuddled up to Pete again, and let himself drift off into sleep. It wasn't easy, since his head was drowning in so many suddenly recalled memories of times he'd shared with his father, but he eventually managed it. That was for the best, sleep helped everything.

It was approximately two hours later that Pete woke up. He was blissfully unaware of the heartbreaking news that his boyfriend had woken up to, he didn't even know that Patrick had already been awake. That was how Patrick wanted it, he didn't want it to affect Pete too badly, since it didn't really involve him at all. He refused to let himself drag Pete into the less pretty parts of his life, especially if it wasn't totally required. Pete could survive without knowing Patrick's dad had died, but the real question was whether he was going to have to.

Pete lightly shook Patrick awake before asking, "What's wrong?"

Patrick didn't realise he'd been crying in his sleep, but, sure enough, that was the first thing Pete had seen after he'd woken up. It was definitely a shock for both of them, since Patrick couldn't quite seem to recall what he'd been dreaming about. He supposed it must have had something to do with his dad, if it was anything other than that he would have wondered if the tears were really necessary.

"Good morning to you, too!" Patrick laughed sarcastically, before he actually answered Pete's question, "My dad died last night, and my mom called me to tell me--"
"Fucking hell, Patrick, that's heavy!" Pete exclaimed, obviously surprised by how calmly Patrick was dealing with his sadness, "How are you laughing right now? In fact, how are you doing anything but crying right now?"

Patrick just smiled. He wasn't trying to be mysterious or secretive, he just wasn't quite sure either. Patrick felt that the best thing to do would be to go about his day normally, and find some way to mention his father's not-quite-funeral to Pete whenever he got a chance. He didn't want to be sad, and he didn't want to be overcome with grief, so this seemed like a good plan to him. Patrick then realised that this was his selfish side showing through again, but he chose not to do anything about it, since he wasn't really all that bothered right then.

Seeing Patrick get out of bed so quickly somehow encouraged Pete to do the same, and eventually the two of them found themselves in the same position they had been in yesterday. Patrick was sitting on the couch, while Pete was resting his head on Patrick's legs. Something about sitting this way wasn't quite as comfortable as either of them wanted it to be, but it was convenient, since Patrick got to play with Pete's hair, and Pete got to stare up at Patrick whilst lying on him.

"We should do something together," Pete said, not giving Patrick many ideas, but helpfully giving him a way to slot his family get-together into the conversation.
"My family is all getting together tomorrow," Patrick suggested, "want to go as my date?"
"I meant something fun, but that could be good, too. I mean, we are dating, so your mom probably wants to meet me at some point."
"It'll all be fine, Pete, I promise it won't be really depressing."

Pete smiled and nodded at Patrick, their conversation was over, but he was still looking up at him, in awe of how someone quite so cute and sweet had never had a proper boyfriend before. It only made him sad to think about Patrick in school, all by himself without anyone who cared about him. It only got worse when Pete realised that Patrick probably had at least one crush that had to go completely unrequited, and the thought killed him.

"Did you like anyone at school?" he asked, just having to make sure that he wasn't overreacting.
"I guess," Patrick sighed, "nothing ever happened, though."
"Not even a drunken kiss?"
"Nothing."
"Could I kiss you now?"
"I think I'd love that."