Loveless (Peterick)

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January had come and gone in a whirlwind of client sessions and sleepless nights for Patrick, who couldn't help but think about Pete far more than normal. It wasn't like he could control it. He thought he could, but since the New Year's kiss he seemed to never have the ability get his client out of his head. The kiss had been innocent, sweet like nectar, chaste at most, and it probably meant absolutely nothing to Pete since he was twice as drunk as Patrick. Yet, as Patrick watched his computer screen turn black he knew it meant much more to him in every possible way. He wanted to go to Pete and tell him about the mixture of emotions bombarding his thoughts like a sensible person, but he couldn't do that to Pete- throw him into a state of confusion when all he really wanted was Mikey. 

Mikey Way. Patrick couldn't have been more jealous of him getting every ounce of Pete's attention and focus than he was right then, holding his forehead on the edge of his desk to help the slight headache in his temples that was surfacing from just thinking too hard. He'd gone through each of his customers that day mindlessly, and he felt bad about the fact that his feelings were getting in the way of his work even if he wasn't sure what those feelings were telling him, what they meant. Though he couldn't understand why he was acting like a fool, he knew that he had to hide what he was feeling from Pete so that they could finish their mission. He didn't want to interfere with something that Pete paid good money for to happen. Patrick wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he let his selfish desires to kiss Pete again get in the way of Pete's own happiness, so he made the ultimate decision with his head still thumping to repress whatever he'd developed for the other man in order to prevent scaring Pete away.

Nothing ever went that easy for Patrick, though. As soon as he got off work he'd gotten a text from Pete asking if he wanted to go for that movie they had talked about going to very ironically. He was certain Pete was just going to take Mikey, but no, he hadn't considered that at all. He'd asked him, and that only made Patrick more confused and conflicted.

"You should go," Elisa told him when they got to his house, "It's just a movie. It's not like he's proposing to you."

"Yeah, but the thing is I think I-well, I actually might like him."
"You're serious? Oh my God. You're serious. Patrick, do you know what this means?"
"I shouldn't go to the movies with him?"

"No, you idiot! You have to go now! We need to get you looking hotter than you already are. Let him see what he's missing fawning over Mikey."

"El, I don't know. It doesn't feel right to me to try to win him over when he's clearly not interested."
"How ironic considering that's what you two are doing to Mikey. You're already playing the dirty game. Won't hurt to go a little deeper."
"Fine. Whatever. I'll do it, but this plan is going to fail so hard."

"At least we can say we tried," she said.

Patrick spent the next hour letting his friend style his hair and pick out an outfit for him that, according to her, was casual yet sexy enough to hint that he was open to a possible make-out sesh if the night allowed.

"Now send him a selfie. Make it totally cool."

"Why are you giving me advice?" he asked.
"Because you seemingly forget how to function when you realize you like a boy."
"True."

Patrick: hey. I'm ready for that cheesy romcom.