Don't Get Hurt (The Bad Side of 25) - Peterick

Patrick laughs, loud, harsh, bitter, swaying dangerously to and fro on unsteady feet. "Don't you see, Pete? People don't give a shit about my words. They don't give a shit about what I have to say. No, they only want to hear what you have to say. They want to hear your words from my mouth. I'm a fucking parrot, Pete. I'm your fucking puppet. I am nothing without you."

About three years into the hiatus, Patrick shows up on Pete's doorstep, drunk and furious. Pete's scared out of his wits, Joe's too busy to be of any use, Andy's nowhere to be found, and Patrick--Patrick is dangerously close to the breaking point.

Warning: contains mentions of depression, alcoholism, suicide. Read at your own risk.