Better Off In Love (Peterick Au)

Coffee for Pattycakes

It was a Monday morning and Patrick had nothing planned for the day, so he decided to head to Starbucks and do a bit of people watching, and maybe catch up with some friends. He quickly dressed in jeans, a pale blue t-shirt and a black leather jacket before combing through his hair and throwing one of his fedoras on top. 

It was only a five minute stroll to the nearest coffee shop, and he walked there on autopilot. What could he say, he loved his coffee. Hurrying in from the autumn breeze, he made his way to the end of the queue, already having his order in his head. The line was steadily moving, so he knew it was only a short wait until he got his caffeine fix. He realised he'd been lost in his thoughts when he felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped, spinning around to face whoever it was, relaxing again when he was met with tan skin and a familiar smile.

"Hey," Pete greeted him, his smile holding more shyness than usual to it.

"Hey yourself," Patrick returned.

"So... You come here often?" Pete joked as they moved a couple of steps forward in the line.

Patrick laughed, and Pete was reminded of his old belief that Patrick Stump's laughter could solve all the world's problems. 

"As a matter of fact, I do. This is the closest Starbucks to my flat, and you know..."

"You love coffee, I remember," Pete finished off the sentence for him.

Patrick nodded in agreement. They were now at the front of the queue, and Pete motioned for Patrick to go first. He grabbed Pete's arm and dragged him with him to go order, because buying him a coffee seemed like a good idea. 

The barista at the till had firetruck red hair and elegant features, and Patrick knew his name was Gerard. He really did come here too often, because at this point he was pretty good friends with all the baristas at this branch. Gerard gave them both a welcoming smile.

"Hiya Patrick, what can I get you both?"

"I'll have an americano," Patrick told him, before turning to Pete to let him give his order.

"Can I get a coffee caramel frappuchino?" Pete asked.

"Pete, that's got ice in it, what the fuck?" Patrick questioned as Gerard nodded and wrote the order on the cup.

"Yeah, I know, I love to suffer," He smiled, and Patrick began to wonder if Pete was a lizard person, or something weird, because what human orders an icy drink on a day where a scarf is necessary?

Patrick quickly tapped his card on the reader to pay for the drinks, before moving over to wait. Another barista, Frank, was flitting around pouring various liquids into cups and setting them on the side.

"So, Pat, who's the cutie?" Frank asked, noting the way that the pair stood so close to each other. Gerard had noticed the conversation, and seemed to be somehow listening in whilst still serving the other customers. Patrick turned red, and introduced Pete to his friends.

"Ooh, the Pete Wentz, in our Starbucks, Gee!" Frank fake swooned, handing a teen girl something with a lot of very sugary syrups in. Gerard rolled his eyes.

"We'll have to all go out somewhere together one night," Gerard suggested.

"Oh! Um, no, it's not like that..." Patrick hurried out as Pete looked confused.

"I've got no issues with meeting your friends," Pete said, eyebrows furrowed as he wondered why Patrick didn't want him to hang out with his new friends.

Frank smirked. "What I think my boyfriend was trying suggest was a double date,"

Realisation dawned on Pete's face.

"Oh, no we're not... Together," he nodded, blushing a little himself.

There was a moment of silence as the couple gave each other a look, before carrying on with their work. Pete and Patrick stood in silence, letting them do their thing. Frank came over to the counter where they stood a minute later, a cup in either hand. 

"Coffee for... Pattycakes?" he read out with a smile in Gerard's direction. Patrick rolled his eyes, and Pete's eyes gained a look of amusement.

"Pattycakes? I'm so calling you that," he laughed.

"You are so not if you don't want to have to sleep with one eye open," Patrick gave him an exaggeratedly fake smile, before turning back to the other two men. "I'll catch up with you two soon,"

"Have a nice date!" Gerard called, and Patrick just shook his head to hide his embarrassment.

Pete spotted an empty table by the window and headed towards it, Patrick tailing just behind. They both set their drinks down and sat opposite each other, before sharing shy smiles.

"Sorry about my friends,"

"It's fine, they seem nice," Pete smiled.

"And... I'm sorry about the other night, too," Patrick mumbled, just loud enough for Pete to catch, wiping the smile off his face.

"No, no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"No, it was fine, I was just..."

Both men watched the other in silence for a moment, wondering who would be the one to finish their sentence first. Pete took a sip from his drink.

"I..." Pete began to speak before suddenly noticing the two young girls sat on the table across from them who were quite clearly eavesdropping. As Pete looked, over, they quickly looked away with a giggle, as if that somehow made them invisible.

Pete sighed, drawing Patrick's attention to the issue. They both gave slightly despairing looks to the girls, before turning back to each other.

"Do you want to head somewhere else?" Patrick asked, and Pete gave a quick nod. He wanted to chat to his friend, but one of the major disadvantages of them both being kind of famous was that the world seemed to want constant updates on what was going on in their lives, no matter how big or small.

They stood, before picking up their drinks and heading for the exit together, Patrick leading the way, and a slightly nervous Pete keeping pace.