Since When Did You Become a Romantic?

Chapter 21: Hi, Nancy

Before the gang knew it, it was Christmas Eve. They had some new furniture, courtesy of Tyler but Mikey lied and said that he'd been saving for Gerard and Lindsey. Gerard insisted that they had a party. He didn't like to call it a party, so he called it a social gathering of mutual friends. He literally sent out an email with that printed on it. Brendon will never let him hear the end of it.

"I'm so nervous," Gerard taps his foot anxiously.

Frank rolls his eyes but can't help smiling. "Really I couldn't tell?" He replies sarcastically. He's in the kitchen trying to see if they have enough dishes when he could just ask Lindsey. He definitely doesn't want to wake her up though. "It's three in the afternoon, can't you go wake your wife up?" Frank asks.

Gerard keeps folding the napkins on the kitchen table. "No thanks. Me and L have to make an appearance at her mother's house at five and then the gang will be coming over here at seven. If I wake her up we won't get to her mom's house until-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Frank doesn't want to hear the speech.

Gerard can see that he is getting annoyed so he walks over to Frank. "I know it sounds bad but I only have to lie two days of the year. Christmas and Easter. The other 364, I'm all yours," he lets his forehead rest against Frank's.

He sighs and shows a shy smile. "Yeah, I know," Frank presses a soft kiss to his lips. "Now come on, I have plates to count."

---

Patrick and Pete are blindly in love, Brendon makes fun of it while Ryan wishes he could find a taste of it. But nevertheless, it's true. They do everything together, which sometimes annoys the group but they're so cute together they let it slide. Pete is absolutely enthralled by Patrick. It's almost like Pete's running out of time. The way he looks at Patrick, like he's trying to memorize the curve of his back, the color of his eyes, before he forgets. Saving a picture in his mind before Patrick is snatched away. But that's not going to happen, Pete tries to calm himself when he thinks those things. Whenever he's not looking, Pete is smiling at him for no reason. It's the purest thing. Pete never thought he'd live past 21, now Patrick makes him want to live forever. Live forever in this perfect little pocket of the world the two have carved out for themselves. Live forever in the soft hugs in the morning when the sun just hits their faces perfectly. In the orange sky that the two watch as the sun kisses them goodnight from atop the roof of Pete's house. The quiet whispers they exchange from up there. They think they're invincible up there, even though if they went down to the alley behind his house, they'd leave with an extra knife in their stomach. The fears and doubts of tomorrow seem to melt away when they're together. They can appreciate the smallest things like the afternoon tiredness has become a reason to wake up. If you're asleep you can't be with them. Every second they can, they spend together, just being in each other's presence.

Pete's doing the thing, the staring thing, again. He sits there on the edge of the bed with his chin in his hand, watching Patrick try to pick out an outfit for the 'social gathering of mutual friends'. The goofy grin across Pete's face makes him seem like he's daydreaming so Patrick doesn't pay attention. "He's all mine. I love this silly little guy," Pete says casually.

Now this gets Patrick's attention. Words that have never come out of Pete's mouth were just whispered so casually, so calmly. Patrick freezes with his own meaningless chatter about shades of blue. "Wait what?"

Pete doesn't even bother to clarify that he was a bit zoned out when he said it. There was no point to prolong this. "I love you, you little nugget," his smile is so big that his eyes are nearly closed.

Patrick's heart is swelling. "I love you too," he nearly whispers a reply because he feels like if he says it any louder some poorly benevolent god will wreck it.