when the party's over, hockstetter 𝜗𝜚

xi. changes

❨ WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER ❩
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
CHANGES

‧ : *: ‧ °✧

winter, december 1988.

to say patrick was worried would be an understatement. the boy was absolutely petrified.

today would be the day he formally introduces (y/n) as his girlfriend to his dad.

he wasn't sure how he was going to respond but assumed it couldn't be bad.

throughout his life, his father had always been disappointed in him for his mischievous and immature behavior. he hoped that now, seeing his efforts to change, his father would finally be proud of him.

maybe he'd even love him.

with his eyes half open, the messy haired boy rolls out of bed and grabs some clean clothes for a shower.

he brushed his teeth and combs his hair, wanting to look handsome and put together for his girlfriend.

when he's finished, he slips on his nicest pair of boots before trotting downstairs for breakfast.

"good morning." patrick hums, patting his father on the back.

he stops dicing the carrots and gently grabs the boy's face, his weary, mature eyes locking onto patrick's identical gaze.

"you're growing up so fast." he says, his gravelly voice barely above a whisper. patricks nods uncomfortably, not knowing what to do in this type of situation.

this was the first time in years he's ever even been in his father's presence for longer than ten minutes.

in that moment, patrick experienced an epiphany. he was amazed, mostly at how (y/n) had managed to dismantle his emotional defenses so swiftly. while he knew he still had a journey ahead, it was almost unheard of for him to develop feelings for someone, let alone strive to impress them.

abruptly, he pulls away from the elder hockstetter and rushes out of the house. as he's walking down the driveway, he bumps into his dad's fiancée, evelyn, coming home from work.

"what time will you be back for dinner?" she stops at the front door, looking at him expectantly.

"fuck off, that's when."

he definitely still had quite the journey ahead.

patrick doesn't waste any more time as he stalks off into the woods. when the lanky boy finally reaches his spot, he lets out a sigh of relief.

everything is still right where he left it.

he hesitantly steps closer to the old fridge, huge, pale hand reaching for the handle.

he's had this fridge since he was twelve.

he opens it, suppressing a gag, face scrunching up and heart hammering in his chest at the putrid smell. he immediately slams the door shut.

this was a new experience for him, actually feeling emotions and having a subconscious mind. it was uncomfortable, but he'd follow through with it if it meant having someone as special as (y/n) to call his own.

patrick bends down and digs into the shallow pile of leaves, a grin falling on his face as he grips the metal can he'd buried there months ago.

his shaky hands hold the lighter fluid can in one and his favorite zippo in the other, igniting a large flame.

the dark haired boy steps forward until he's hovering over the fridge, allowing the flames to engulf it.

once the flames catch, he steps back, tossing the can deeper into the woods and stowing his zippo in his pocket. standing with his hands buried deep, his eyes fixate intensely on the burgeoning fire, observing as it consumes and diminishes the abandoned fridge.

"patrick?" his lover's voice causes him to jump, immediately swiveling around to catch her gaze.

"what are you—what's that?" (y/n) takes a few steps back, nostrils overcome with a horrible smell. her eyes have a glint of fear in them.

the tall young man shrugs, hands cautiously reaching out in front of him as he walks towards her.

she was scared, causing his heart to sink.

"i'm not going to hurt you, you know that, right?" he asks, standing over her. her breath catches in her throat, rendering her speechless; she nods in response.

"can we go?" (y/n) finally asks, gaining the courage to look him in his face. the sinister glare in his eyes is gone, causing her to relax.

patrick nods, gently taking her hand as she leads him out of the dense woods, their footsteps crunching softly on the forest floor, headed towards his home.

when he knows for sure she's not looking, he glances back at the now half melted fridge and grins.

☆

"so, (n/n)—"

"it's (y/n). only her friends call her (n/n)." patrick cuts his father off, frowning at the food in front of him.

the shorter girl lets out an awkward laugh, her hands fumbling beneath the table until she finds patrick's. eventually, their fingers intertwine—her smaller ones entwined with his much larger ones.

"right. uh, (y/n). you live with butch and his boy, yeah? how're you likin' that?"

"oh! it's been... it's been exciting." she sends a tight-lipped smile in his direction.

"that's amazing, sweetie." his fiancée smiles back, "so, how long have you and patrick been together? do you plan on living together anytime soon? getting married? starting a fa—"

"evelyn!" patrick slams his hand on the table, making everyone jump. he feels (y/n) tug her hand away from his, and sighs, "i think that's enough for tonight. we'll see you tomorrow."

he doesn't wait for anyone to respond as he stands up out of his chair and grabs the shorter girl by her elbow, ignoring her protests to stop.

once they get to his room, he closes and locks the door, finally removing his grip on her. she glares at him, plopping onto his bed with her arms crossed over her chest.

"what the hell was that for?"

he shakes his head, taking off his shirt and changing into some flannel pyjama pants.

he throws her one of his clean t-shirts, waiting for her to change before lifting her up and pulling her to lay on top of him.

his long fingers tangle into her hair, brushing stray strands away from her face.

"i love you." he mutters, causing her to lift her head and stare at him.

"what's the matter with you today? you feeling alright?"

patrick nods, puckering his lips as if to ask for a kiss. she smirks and shakes her head, sitting up so that she's straddling him.

"come on, lil' bit. gimme a kiss." he groans, resting his hands on her waist.

"no, not until you tell me what's up."

"nothing. it's just—i don't know," he huffs, "i've just been feeling different. you're changing me. m'just tryna accept that i won't be the same person i was before."

"sorry." (y/n) whispers. he chuckles, pinching her sides.

"don't be. this is good. you're good for me."

the seventeen year old girl nods, pressing her lips against his before resting her head on his chest.

"you are too, in your own way."