Saturday // Peterick Oneshots

25. Snake Bites

Was gonna write something angsty but decided I didn't have the heart this week. Also, don't forget that you can request stuff anytime! Based on a prompt. IOH era. Low-key a college au but it's not super prominent so.

The last few minutes before Pete arrived at Patrick's apartment were a frantic scramble to make sure it was presentable. It mostly consisted of putting away dishes, shoving dirty laundry into his closet, and feeding his snake Costello before he got stir crazy. He and Pete had only been dating for a few weeks, so this would be their first time spending a night in. He had already ordered the pizza, timing it to where it would arrive shortly after Pete.

There was a knock on the door at exactly six thirty. When Patrick opened it, Pete was standing on the other side, holding a single orange rose.

"Hey," Pete said with a smile.

"Hi." Patrick smiled back. He stepped to the side and opened the door wider. "Come on in."

"So, pizza and a movie?" Pete asked, walking over to the couch.

Patrick nodded and sat down next to him. "I ordered the pizza, so that should be here soon, and I figured we could pick out a movie together..." he trailed off as Pete began messing with his hair.

"I'm still listening," Pete commented.

"What are you doing?" Patrick asked. Pete tucked the rose behind Patrick's ear. "Oh," Patrick said with a laugh.

Pete grinned. "Perfect." He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Patrick's cheek.

"Dick," Patrick muttered, blushing. "You distracted me."

Pete laughed and threw an arm around Patrick's shoulders. Patrick leaned into him. "Come on, babe," Pete said while nuzzling Patrick's hair, "Let's pick out a movie."

Three movies and a pizza later, it was one in the morning, and Patrick invited Pete to stay the night. (Meaning, he really didn't want Pete to leave. They'd been cuddling all night and Patrick couldn't bear the thought of having to stop.) Pete had offered to sleep on the couch, but Patrick was having none of it.

"Pete, it's not a big deal. We're dating, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah." Pete smiled. He took Patrick's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Lead the way."

Patrick could barely contain his smile. He brought Pete to his bedroom and turned on the light. "If you need pajama pants, you can borrow a pair, and I can grab more blankets if you're cold."

"Thanks, babe." Pete let go of Patrick's hand and began looking around the room. "Your room is so nerdy," he commented, pointing at Patrick's Star Wars poster. "I love it!"

"Thank you." Patrick checked to see if Pete was looking, then slipped off his jeans and put on sweatpants.

"What's in here?" Pete asked, bending down to look at Patrick's terrarium.

"My corn snake!" Patrick gushed. "His name's Costello. You already know why he's named that."

Costello slithered our from behind a rock and flicked his tongue out. Pete straightened up. "Oh," he said quietly.

Patrick walked over to Costello's enclosure. "I've only had him for a few months, but I really like him. There's not a lot of upkeep, and he's really easy to hide from my landlord." He smiled at his pet. When he looked back at Pete, however, he frowned.

"That's really cool, Patrick," Pete said with a forced smile. His face was pale and his hands were clenched at his sides.

"Hey, are you alright?" Patrick asked softly.

Pete scratched the back of his neck. His eyes were still locked on Costello. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

Pete took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'm not good with snakes."

"Ooooh," Patrick said. "I can cover him up, if you want."

Pete nodded silently. Patrick gave him a quick peck on the forehead and grabbed the blanket he used to hide Costello. He draped it over the enclosure, making sure every inch was covered. Pete let out a sigh behind him. Patrick turned around and smiled at Pete, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed. Pete held out his arms. Patrick sat down beside him and Pete wrapped his arms around his middle. Patrick hugged Pete back, and Pete tucked his head under Patrick's chin.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Patrick asked.

"It's silly," Pete began. "When I was younger, my friend wanted to make a short film. It was supposed to be this weird cult-y, survivalist thing, I don't know, but there were a couple scenes in the woods. During one I was kneeling on the ground, when this snake slithered out from it's den underneath me. It was my fault for being in its territory, but...it bit my leg."

Pete shuddered against him. Patrick ran his fingers through Pete's hair.

"It wasn't poisonous, luckily, but it scared the shit out of me. I'm still not over it," Pete said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Patrick said. He kissed Pete's hair. "I wish I could help, I don't want you to be uncomfortable when you come over."

"It's okay. I used to cry whenever I saw snakes, so. I am getting better about it."

Patrick held him tighter. They remained like that for a few minutes before Pete yawned.

"Let's go to bed, yeah?" Pete said. He pulled away and smiled at Patrick sleepily.

Patrick leaned in and gave Pete a soft kiss. "Yeah. We can talk more in the morning." They settled themselves beneath the sheets, curled around each other like boa constrictors.