Evan Peters Drabbles

Prompt #33 (Tate Langdon [AHS] x Reader)

"No one needs to know."

*Set in the 90's, prior to Tate's death*

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Maybe a few days prior to this, your mind would have over-powered your heart & you would have made the more logical, rational decision. You would have paid no attention to the annoying fluttering of your heart every time you saw him. You would have hushed the butterflies that exploded in your stomach whenever he was around, but today, you let all the butterflies & fluttering consume you entirely & decide your fate.

It started off as a silly game & an unserious promise. The idea rolled off your lips jokingly & without thought, a simple flick of the tongue. Just a laugh & a dumb proposal, but it ended up being much more than that. And the overwhelming amout of emotions that consumed you definitely wasn't helping you think clearly enough to make a more rational decision.

Just three, simple words had completely changed your entire life & its path: Let's get married.

The day you carelessly decided to vocalize your stupid "plan" was one like any other. You were in Tate's room, your best friend of over ten years & boyfriend for just over two years. He had Heart-Shaped Box playing on his record player as he watched you do your Chemistry homework. He loved watching you work or concentrate on something. The way your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to comprehend it & the way you chewed incessantly on your bottom lip made him go absolutely mad, but he loved it, just like he loved you. He was so in love with you that his heart physically hurt from being so overwhelmingly full with his love for you. He wanted nothing more than to love & cherish you forever & leave this godforsaken, awful home. He hated his mother & wanted to just run away with you. Little did he know, his desires would be fulfilled sooner than he thought.

The sound of your glorious laugh broke him out of his trance & he returned to reality with your smile beaming up at him, "In Chem today, my teacher made a really bad pun about how atoms bond & it was the absolute funniest thing ever! She said, 'When a hydrogen atom wants to bond to another atom, they simply go up to them & smoothly ask, 'Do you want to bond? Well then, let's get married!'" she laughed even more as she recalled the silly joke & Tate would have too, but he was too engrossed on one particular phrase of the joke: let's get married.

"That's a great idea," he said quietly.

You looked up at him & smiled, "What is?"

He locked eyes with you as his mouth slowly formed a grin, "Getting married. We should get married."

You raised an eyebrow, "You mean, like, right now?"

He gently grabbed your hands, "Yes!" his smile widened, "We could get married at that chapel downtown & just...run away together."

You blinked as you stared at him in shock, "You can't be serious, Tate, that's crazy! We can't just get married & leave. What about Addy? Do you really want to leave her all alone with your mother? And what about my parents? They'd keel over from worry if I just disappeared."

He sighed, "As much as I don't want to leave her here, I have to. She won't be safe out in the real world. It's a filthy world we live in & she couldn't survive out there. She needs my mother to protect her," he looked at you, "And as for your parents, you can just tell them you needed a fresh start & wanted to venture out into the world to see what it's like."

You snorted, "Tate, I love you, more than anything, but this is crazy. We're just kids! We can't survive out there. We won't make it."

He grabbed your hands again & looked into your eyes, "How about this: Spring Break is next week, so what if we used that as a practice run? You can tell your parents that you're going camping with us & we can go out, get married, & start our lives together," he frowned slightly, "And on Sunday, if you decide that you don't want to do that, we can come right back home, get the marriage annulled, & pretend like nothing ever happened," he smiled faintly, "No one needs to know."

You sighed as you looked your delusional boyfriend over, contemplating this ridiculous plan. You hated to admit it, but the idea of running away with Tate made your heart flutter. You knew that you would be your happiest then, if it was just the two of you, together, without a care in the world. It would be like a real life fantasy, a fairy tale. You grinned softly, "Alright, Tate," he grinned back, "it's a deal," he pulled you close & sealed the deal with a kiss.

Spring Break came by faster than you realized. Before you knew it, you & Tate were already driving towards the chapel, your hands interlocked & your hearts racing. They didn't stop racing when you said your vows, or when he carried you out of the chapel bridal style. They didn't stop racing as Tate drove around aimlessly, too distracted by you & the bands that now adorned each of your's ring fingers. They didn't stop racing that whole week, hammering inside your chests constantly without ceasing.

That one week was the most relaxing yet exhilarating week you had ever had. There wasn't a care in the world on either of your parts, other than the other, but just like everything in this filthy world, all good things eventually, had to come to an end & by Sunday, that week had already seemed like a distant memory. You had to make a decision & you knew for a fact that you weren't ready to. It all happened so fast & you didn't want it to end, but you knew that it had to, if not now, one day, it would. Being hopelessly in love & spending the rest of your days with someone just wasn't enough. It wouldn't put food on the table, it wouldn't pay the bills. If anything, it would cause a strain & make everything that much harder. You would struggle to survive & that was your biggest fear, going out into the world & not being prepared enough to survive.

Needless to say, you were absolutely torn & Tate's puppy dog eyes boring holes into you didn't help make the decision any easier, "Tate," you begun, biting your lip, "This week has been so amazing, probably the best week of my life & I want to thank you for doing this with me & letting me have some fun for once," he smiled cutely as he waited for you to continue, "and...I want...to go home," you finished. The smile immediately fell from his face, turning into a frown. His eyes grew sad, lost, & confused. He looked as if he had just been kicked in the face. You couldn't help but laugh at his misunderstanding, "Tate, don't you get what I'm saying?"

He looked at you sadly, sniffling as his eyes began to water, "I do."

You gently grabbed his hands, "No, you don't," you smiled at him, "They say that home is a place where you feel safe & loved, where you know no one can judge you & will accept you no matter what flaws you have. It's where you can be yourself, no strings or sugar coating attached," you smiled wider, "You're my home, Tate. There's no place I feel all those things then when I'm with you & as long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter where we are or where we decide to go because it'll always be home," his beautiful smile instantly returned & he pulled you into a bone-crushing hug. You eagerly returned the hug & he attacked you with loving kisses, making you laugh.

When he finally pulled away, the smile was still on his face, "I love you, so much."

You smiled, "I love you, too," you leaned back in your seat, sighing contentedly, "Now, take me home, Hubby," he laughed & pressed a kiss to your cheek before he started the car, unofficially beginning the journey of the rest of your lives.