The Will of Love and Life (Peterick)

Chapter Sixteen

September 14, 2016

Patrick was procrastinating when Joe walked in through his open office door after lunch. He was drawing on the back of an old document that really should've gone through the shredder years ago, but instead, it was kept in a drawer that he used to hold scrap paper so he had something to do when his work bored him.

"Hope you don't have weekend plans because you'll have to cancel them," Joe said.

Patrick glanced up, raising his eyebrows. "I don't, but why?"

"What, you don't have plans with Pete?" Joe asked.

"No. And even if I did, I'd apparently have to cancel them. We're not together every day. I don't know why you think that." Patrick was clicking his pen, and Joe wanted to rip it out of his hand. "Now, are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

"I know you want it to involve drinking, but it's much better than that, I promise."

Patrick dropped his pen and crossed his arms. "What is it?"

"Want to go home for the weekend?"

"No."

Joe sighed. "Come on, Patrick. Mom and Dad haven't seen you in forever. They miss you. And they complain that I don't bring home a girlfriend every time I visit, and I figure if I bring you, they won't be on my back."

It was Patrick's turn to sigh. He really wanted to say no, but Pete had softened him a bit the past few months, so he agreed. He tried to tell himself that a weekend with no alcohol, limited television, no Pete, and sharing a room with Joe wouldn't be that bad. It didn't work.

And it was ironic how Patrick told Joe all about how he and Pete weren't always together, but when he got home, he was leaning against the fence and had Pete in his lap not even a minute later. Kissing Pete after a day of procrastinating and having to rush last minute felt amazing and almost made the day worth it.

"Why are you sitting on me?" Patrick asked when Pete shifted.

"The ground is too wet for me," Pete answered.

"So you make me sit on it?" Patrick replied. The grass was barely even damp, and Patrick thought Pete was kind of overdramatic, but Pete wasn't interested in anything that could get him wet or dirty. Sometimes Patrick got the urge to push him fully clothed into a swimming pool, but Pete would definitely either kill him or never kiss him again, so he figured the chance wasn't worth it.

"You did this to yourself, goldie."

"Okay, do you have a list of bad nicknames somewhere? Because it needs to be destroyed."

"Why do you hate everything?" Pete asked, pouting out his bottom lip. "Is there something you want me to call you?"

Patrick shrugged. "I don't know. My name is always an option."

"No," Pete said.

"What's wrong with my name?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. It's just. . . everyone calls you by your name. I mean, that's why you call me Peter, right? 'Cause everyone uses my nickname."

"I guess, but I don't have another name for you."

"Find one. That can be, like, the only cute thing about us. Well, next to just how cute we look together."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're so adorable." Pete took Patrick's phone, put in the password (Pete's birthday), and opened the camera. "Look at us, pretty boy." Patrick was not expecting for Pete to kiss his cheek to make him smile before taking a picture of them. "You photograph nicely."