Just Once - A Peterick Fic

Chapter 5

        "Hey, 'Trick. You're late," I heard as I arrived at band practice. Andy had said it and was smiling at me as I walked into the space.

        "I know, I know. I overslept. Told you we shouldn't have had it this early," I shot back, returning the smile.

        "Dude, it's noon," Joe said as if that was late.

        "Your point?"

        Practice went well and by the end, we were sitting around, deciding on setlists for our upcoming December shows. That was one of the the hardest parts about releasing an album: debuting the new material live. Pete didn't sweat it much but the rest of us got nervous.

        Folie felt like it might be different, too. Writing it had been harder than normal, after all. I mean, I've never seen Pete's lyrics this strong before but the creative differences we'd all faced in the studio were immense. This felt like Fall Out Boy but it felt different and I didn't know how else to explain it. To say the least, I was nervous.

        We'd decided on a couple setlists by the end and were just sitting around, talking a little when I glanced at Pete, asking him a question with my eyes. "Should we tell them?"

        He subtly nodded before I turned to Joe and Andy, directing the question to Pete, too. "So do you guys want to come back to my place and hang out for a bit? Maybe watch a movie? They just added Rambo to Netflix."

        They all three nodded, agreeing. "Alright, well I guess I'll see you all in a few minutes then."

        Within 20 minutes, we'd all arrived at my apartment and were getting ready to watch the movie. Andy was making popcorn, Pete was looking for the movie on Netflix, Joe was raiding my candy although I didn't have much, and I was gathering a few blankets.

        "So before we start the movie, can I talk to you guys about something?" Pete asked when everyone had gathered in the living room, Andy and Joe on one couch and Pete and me on the other. He stood up, directly in front of the TV, facing the opposite couch.

        Andy and Joe glanced at each other, like they knew what he was about to say. "Yeah, sure. What is it?" Joe spoke up, both of then turning their gazes back to Pete.

        He glanced back over his shoulder at me and I stood up, taking his hand in mine and standing next to me. "We're....together," I said with a timid smile, no clue how they'd react.

        "Told you they would," Joe said, looking over at Andy with a smirk.

        "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever," he responded, unable to hide his smile.

        "Now I'm wishing we'd bet money like you'd wanted to," Joe said, still smirking.

        "Wait, what the hell is going on here?" Pete spoke up, looking between the two. I was lost and, judging by his question, I'm guessing Pete was too.

        "Well, I thought you two would end up together after the other night on the bus and Andy didn't think you would," Joe explained, shrugging.

        The other night on the bus? Did they... Oh shit.

        "Y-you guys heard us?" I asked, feeling my cheeks heat up. They must've been a fire engine red by now.

        "Well you kinda woke us up," Andy said, still smiling at us like he'd just won the lottery. He'd lost the bet. Why was he so happy? Not that I'm complaining, it just seems like Joe should be the one beaming at us.