Patrick: what are you doing after detention?
Brendon: going home?
Patrick: come over to my place
Brendon: is Pete gonna be there?
Patrick: it's best that he's not there
Brendon: alright?
Patrick: and don't tell him you're coming
Brendon: why not?
Patrick: trust me you don't want him to know
Brendon: alright see you after school then
~~~
"You didn't tell Pete, right?" Was the first thing Patrick said when he opened his door for Brendon. He poked his head out from behind the door, hiding his body. His voice was harsh and just above a whisper.
"Hello to you too," Brendon joked as he moved passed his friend. Patrick grabbed his hand and dragged him through the house to his room. The door practically slammed behind them causing Brendon to jump at the loud noise. "I've never seen you this serious before."
"Pete told me he was gonna help you with your situation with Ryan," Patrick said nonchalantly as if he wasn't just acting like he was a spy on a secret mission.
"Yeah," Brendon dragged at the word as he slowly sat on the bed. "Ryan and I are playing dare so I think he was gonna use that to help me."
"And you were just gonna let him?" Brendon nodded earning a quick laugh from Patrick.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Pete sucks at romance. Him helping you would be like the blind leading the blind. It would be a disaster." Brendom shifted on the bed.
"He already seems excited about it."
"He'll want you to do some extreme things that I'm sure you'd be uncomfortable with."
"So what do I do?"
"Do a few things he says to keep him happy, but let me help you." Brendon considered the idea for a moment. He nodded quickly when he remembered the time Pete dragged him to a tattoo parlor to watch him almost get a large heart and arrow with Patrick's name in the middle on his chest.
The couple had just confessed their love for each other and the impulsive boy wanted to celebrate their love. Thankfully, the artist didn't let him do it without parental consent. Brendon worried about the extremes Pete took to prove his love in his relationship and suddenly feared how the boy had planned to help Brendon out.
"I would be grateful if you'd help me out." Patrick smiled and leaned back on his bed. Brendon followed suit and stared up at the ceiling. "How in the hell did Pete managed to get you to agree to go out with him. I remember him getting himself sent to the nurse's office after getting hurt trying to impress you." The boy let out a soft chuckle.
"Pete is very flashy, yeah, but when he realized I didn't like all that, he was more subtle about things." Brendon smirked and involuntarily rolled his eyes.
"Pete? Subtle? We are talking about the same guy who got hit in the face with a soccer ball because he was too busy staring at you when you came to watch one of his games. The guy who practically dove over a crowd of people to get to you during one of our fire drills. The same dude who –"
"Yes, I'm talking about that idiot," Patrick said with an amused smile.
"Then do tell how in the world he's subtle."
"It was many things, like one time I asked him for a pencil and the one he gave me, he had carved a heart at the end of it. I'm sure he spent a good majority of class looking at me until I noticed it. Another time he delivered a letter to my house saying how much he liked me. I don't think he realized that I was watching him from my window, so I knew he was the one who did it." Brendon smiled at how Patrick reminisced the beginning of his and Pete's relationship.
"He helped stop me from having an anxiety attack when I was supposed to give a speech in class. He even screwed up his speech to take people's focus away from me. I'm not even sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way, I found myself head over heels in love with him."
"I didn't know Pete did any of that." Patrick nodded, his smile still bright.
"When we got furthering into our relationship, he started getting me flowers and other gifts. He told me that you helped him with that."
"You should've seen how nervous he was. He was obsessed with making sure whatever he gave you was perfect."
"Pete can be a big softy, but I wouldn't trust him with your situation. I don't think he'll plan candle lit dinners and roses for you, so I'll help you with that."
"Thanks Patrick. I owe you one."
