Saturday // Peterick Oneshots

42. Touch-Starved

IOH era. Short and fluffy.

Patrick made it a habit never to keep Pete at arm's length while they toured. Pete tended to get restless when he's neglected, and Patrick knew that the occasional stage gay wasn't enough to keep him tethered. So, he purposefully sat close enough that their legs touched during movies, letting Pete lean on him whenever he needed to.

Sometimes accidents happened.

It'd been two weeks. Patrick didn't mean for it to happen, but they were swamped with interviews and meet and greets, and he forgot. He hadn't noticed Pete begin to draw back, either.

He didn't notice until he sat down next to Pete on the bus, making sure they touched, and Pete immediately shifted away.

Patrick glanced at him, alarmed, and saw that Pete was pointedly not looking at him.

It didn't happen often, but when Pete went too long without a warm hug or a hand on his shoulder, he avoided them altogether. Patrick thought it was counterintuitive, but never asked about it.

Patrick sighed, placing his hand between the two of them.

After a moment, Pete's fingers touched his.

"Are you okay?" Patrick asked softly.

"I will be." Pete forced a smile.

Patrick waited until Pete relaxed a bit, then intertwined their fingers. Pete squeezed his hand gently.

The rest of the night went like that; Patrick increased their contact little by little, until Pete was pressed against his side and his head was laying on his shoulder. They were still holding hands, and Patrick's other hand was resting on the small of Pete's back.

Pete shifted, turning towards Patrick more, and nuzzled the side of his neck. "Thank you."

"For what? Being your pillow every once in a while?" Patrick joked, running his thumb along Pete's hand.

"Basically," Pete said. "For putting up with me," he added, quieter.

"You're my best friend," Patrick said, emphasizing his point by pressing closer to Pete. "Putting up with you is my job. Plus, cuddling isn't exactly torture."

Pete smiled. "You really don't mind?"

"Not when it's you," Patrick said honestly.

Pete swung his legs over Patrick's lap and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I'm flattered." He was trying to tease, but Patrick could hear the note of honesty in his voice.

"Like I said, cuddling isn't torture," Patrick restated. "And you're practically a blanket."

"You like hugging me," Pete sang quietly, leaning his forehead against Patrick's. Patrick could see the gleam in his eyes.

He sighed dramatically. "Fine, I like hugging you."

Pete grinned. Before Patrick could ask questions, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of Patrick's mouth. Then he hopped off his lap and walked toward the bunks.

"Pete, what the- where are you going?" Patrick asked, taken aback.

"To bed," Pete called back. He re-emerged shortly, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Why? Do you want to hug me more?"

Patrick scowled at him, then waited for Pete to turn around to turn off the TV and follow him to bed.