Just Once - A Peterick Fic

Chapter 23

        That night Pete decided he was going to steal my Santa hat for the last couple songs on our set, which the fans loved, but what really made them cheer was how he took it from me. In the middle of the song, he came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and took the ball at the tip of the hat in his teeth, flicking his head to pull it off. He'd smiled like a dog who'd just been told he was a good boy and backed away, dropping it into his hands and pulling it onto his own head a moment before he had to continue playing.

        He'd kept it on until the very end, about the time Andy would throw a few drumsticks out into the crowd, and handed it back to me then. Instead of keeping it, I hurtled the hat into the crowd, watching as the hungry hands grabbed for it, fingers like gnashing teeth. Fleetingly, I thought how lucky I was to not be that hat. As I turned to walk off stage, I waved to the fans one last time, a smile stretching across my lips intended for each and every one of them. God, I just adore our fans.

        As soon as we were out of sight of the fans, Pete wrapped me up in his arms and pressed his lips to mine with a new found force. My initial reaction was just surprise, but I soon melted into the kiss, wrapping my hands around him much like his were around me. He'd pulled us unbelievably close, our bodies pressed together as if we were in the privacy of our hotel room rather than backstage with people milling about everywhere. He smelled of sweat and fuel from the pyrotechnics, but that just seemed to make it all the sweeter.

        When we pulled apart, we both had to catch our breath, neither of us having been taking a chance to actually breathe during the kiss. From a little ways away, we could hear Joe whistle at us, a wide smile overtaking his features. That man ships us just as hard as the fans do, I swear.

        I simply blushed and shake my head, turning my attention back to Pete soon enough. "What was the about?" I asked him, amusement lacing my tone.

        He just shrugged, replying with, "Why not? I felt like kissing you, do you have a problem with that?"

        In response, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his once again for a much quicker kiss this time. "Not at all," I muttered against his lips before pulling away, a teasing smirk playing on my features.

        "Love you, Stump," he said, shaking his head at me slightly, as if he thought I were entirely ridiculous and he hated that he loved me partially because of that ridiculousness.

        "Love you too, Wentz," I responded, shooting him a smile before a voice came across the room.

        "Get a room, you two!" Joe yelled to us, Andy standing next to him, both of them acting as if they were disgusted by our PDA.

         "Maybe you should quit staring," Pete shouted back in a friendly manner, his smile audible, but they'd already turned away, focused on each other as they walked in the direction of the dressing rooms. The pair walked awfully closely, and if I didn't know better, I'd say they were holding hands, but they wouldn't do that.

        "C'mon, let's get ready to head to the hotel," I told Pete, grabbing his hand and beginning to drag him behind me as I started in the direction of the dressing rooms. He groaned, lightly pulling against my grip as we walked until I stopped, pulling him close to me and whispering, "What? You don't want to get back to the hotel and crawl into bed with me?"

        His expression changed, his eyes almost lighting up, and I suppressed a laugh as it turned to him pulling me towards the dressing rooms.

        "Whoa, calm down," I told him, letting out that laugh I'd held back.

~~~~~~~

        "Come here," Pete almost whined, holding his arms out towards me like a child reaching for a toy well out of their grasp. He sat on the bed, stripped down to just his boxers, hair standing in every direction imaginable. I love it when his hair is like that, because somehow it manages to make him even more adorable.

        "Give me just a minute, I'm not sleeping with my jeans on," I told him, using a tone that suggested he needed to gain some patience and shooting him a look to match.

        "Ugh, fiiine," he said, throwing his head back in an overly dramatic fashion that communicated he was beyond done with my speed.

        I took my time pulling my clothes off, climbing under the blankets in just my boxers a couple minutes later. Immediately, his warm arms wrapped around me and pulled me close to him, my head resting on his chest.

        "Goodnight Pattycakes," he breathed, kissing the top of my head, then resting his chin there.

        "Goodnight Petey Pie," I responded, using a sickeningly affectionate name that also had to do with sweets. He smiled, letting out a singular, breathy laugh at the name.

        In that moment with his arms around me, it felt as if we could stay that way forever and I didn't mind.

A/N: If you didn't see the status I posted, this chapter is a little late bc I got distracted. I had it all written and everything and planned to publish it last night but with AB/AP out (holy shit it's amazing) and the whole Ferguson thing (it's like an hour from me, so I was watching the news until late last night. Also, pls don't comment with your opinions on the whole deal. Thnks) I was a little distracted and didn't have time to edit it.