The World's Not Waiting (For Two Tired Lovers In A Crummy-Ass Apartment Block)(11/16)
Title:The World's Not Waiting (For Two Tired Lovers In A Crummy-Ass Apartment Block)
Rating: T+
Summary: A tired Pete Wentz, a scheming girlfriend, and the ultimate complex relationship. Throw in a new neighbor in the form of Patrick and an attraction that everyone sees except the two men in question (and Travis but what does he notice?). Stir in my mind for months and then spill all over livejournal. What do you get? Probably the yummiest fic i've ever written! ^____^
Beta: paper_teenheart
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original character
Dedication: to
infamous_gmo! Who actually wrote some of this fic when my brain stopped working. Total legend. feel better <3
Previous Chapters:
1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 8/ 9/ 10
Pete felt cold. He wanted to kill Gabe, kill Patrick, start smoking again and move on. He wanted to make them both suffer for all the hurt he was feeling, but the thought that this was all a dream and he’d wake up and Gabe would be on the sofa away from Patrick’s house like it should be and everything would be as normal, still rested in the back of his mind, waiting hopefully.
This numbness was interesting.
Too angry to be upset and too upset to be angry and too confused to find an answer even though it was right there in front of his eyes.
He wasn’t meant to be happy.
He was meant to sit in this godforsaken relationship for the rest of his life, smoking himself into an early grave because he could while wallowing in his own self pity. Gabe and Patrick would walk around with huge smiles on their faces just to make Pete even more sick until eventually Gabe got bored and moved on, then Patrick would look back and realize what a horrible mistake he’d made but Pete would be so far gone Patrick would be forced to move on and there they would stay, fucked up and alone forever all because of Gabe.
Yeah, the future’s all mapped out really simply.
Why did Gabe have to come in the first place? Why did Gabe have to seduce Patrick into climbing into bed with him? Patrick wasn’t like that!
But then, how well did Pete really know Patrick? He didn’t want to believe that Patrick wasn’t manipulated or that he would willingly do anything to hurt Pete. How could he?
Pete wished the hurt in his chest would go away as he curled up tight under his cover. He wished that he’d never seen them and could go on, loving Patrick in ignorant bliss forever and ever, but above all he wished he had Patrick here to make everything okay again.
His phone had been ringing for about ten minutes now. He knew Patrick was wondering where he could be right now. Eventually he sat up and answered the phone, grunting a “hey” just so Patrick knew he was alive, if you could call it that. “Pete? Where are you?” Patrick asked worriedly.
“Not coming in. Not up to it,” Pete grunted again in reply.
“What’s wrong?” Patrick asked. “Should I come over?”
Pete probably would have loved that any other day. Patrick curled up beside him, arms wrapped around each other with bodies and lips pressed against each other, clinging on to each other for dear life. Pete whispering sexual innuendos and ‘I love you’ and Patrick flirting right back and whispering ‘I love you too’. But even if they tried that now, Pete would be too preoccupied with the fact that Gabe had been there and further.
“No. You stay there with Gabe and everyone else,” Pete replied, not even attempting to hide the bitterness in his voice.
“Is that what this is about Pete?” Patrick sighed. “Look, Gabe’s leaving today! We’re going to have a party and everything. You don’t have to worry anymore, okay?”
“Oh, don’t I?” Pete asked. “Even when I walk in on my boyfriend kissing the dude that I supposedly don’t have to worry about? Especially if their talking about how to hide the fact that they had sex from me!”
Patrick was silent then.
“Funny, your lips were working perfectly not so long ago,” Pete said scathingly. “Oh and by the way, I smoke now. Have a nice life Patrick.”
He hung up the phone and curled up into a ball under his covers again, willing the world to leave him alone.
XxX
“He walked in?!” Gabe exclaimed. “Oh God… When?”
“I don’t know!” Patrick said in a sharp whisper. “I was too busy kissing you!”
“Hey, don’t pin this on me! You weren’t forced into it. In fact, I was the one held down most of the time!” Gabe retorted and Patrick shot him a dark glare before residing to sitting down with his head in his hands.
“What am I going to do?” He groaned. “One night. One fucking night and I might have lost the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Gabe pondered for a while and then sat on the floor cross-legged. “I could talk to him.”
“Nah, that would just piss him off more,” Patrick shook his head. “I’ll do it tomorrow when he’s calmed down. I can’t loose him.”
“Should I leave earlier?” Gabe asked. “Skip the party?”
“No dude. This isn’t your entire fault,” Patrick smiled. “Besides, I need a little bit of cheering up today.”
XxX
“Wentz, you lazy fuck!” Kirsten yelled through the bedroom door. “Get up! We’re going out!”
“Where?” Pete asked.
“Our dear friend Gabe’s leaving bash, baby!” Kirsten replied excitedly.
“No,” Pete said firmly and Kirsten thumped the door.
“Come on spoilsport! You can drink yourself stupid and not talk to anyone but come with me please!” she begged.
“No!” Pete yelled back and Kirsten sighed, going to see if she could find that old megaphone Pete used to keep with him. She was going to get him out of bed somehow, no matter how drastic.
XxX
“Why do you smell like smoke Pete?” Kirsten asked when they got out of the car 4 hours after the shouting match through the door.
“I set my friends on fire,” Pete said blankly, walking up to the room where the loud music was coming from while picturing Gabe drowning in an inferno.
“Hey, Pete!” Travis greeted him as he walked in. “We thought you went and fired yourself again!”
“You’re drunk,” Pete laughed half-heartedly as Travis stumbled over to give Pete a hug. “How about I join you?”
“What about Patrick?” Travis asked, gesturing over to the far end of the room where Patrick was deep in conversation with Jon Walker.
“He doesn’t drink,” Pete said gruffly. “Something about Albuquerque? I don’t know; let’s just go get drunk please.”
“Pete’s over there,” Jon told Patrick who looked across the room at a sullen looking Pete walking behind Travis. Patrick felt his heart sink into his stomach, but he summoned up all his courage and walked over to Pete, he has to get this over with.
“Hey, Pete?” Patrick attempted to get the tanned man’s attention. Pete turned around to face Patrick and Patrick was instantly hit with the smell of stale cigarettes which made his eyes water. Pete’s eyes could have been puffy, but he did his make up so well Patrick couldn’t tell but he looked like something had sucked the life out of him and Patrick had a sinking feeling it was him.
“Can we go and talk?” Patrick asked and Pete nodded silently and Patrick led him to the back room.
“I…” Patrick began once he’d closed the door, and then cursed himself for running out of words to say.
“Tell me you’re sorry and I swear to God I will punch you in the face,” Pete said firmly.
“What else can I say?” Patrick asked. “I was drunk, it was a mistake and you have no idea how gross I feel right now.”
“Anything else?” Pete asked bitterly.
“I love you and I don’t want to loose you over this,” Patrick shrugged sadly. “I wish I could come up with some flawless excuse but yeah, nothing’s flawless.”
“You wouldn’t have cheated if you loved me Patrick. You didn’t feel gross at the time I’ll bet, you don’t drink and Jesus Christ, Patrick,” Pete sighed and looked at the floor. “It’s you. You don’t make mistakes…”
“What the hell, Pete?!” Patrick exclaimed. “Pete, everyone makes mistakes!” But Pete shook his head.
“You don’t make mistakes Patrick. I do,” he insisted. Patrick shifted from foot to foot uneasily. “You’re only human, Pete,” he said. “So am I.” But Pete continued to shake his head.
“No, you’re a star. My star. You’re the one that’s supposed to hit me over the head with your laptop for fucking up then tell me everything is okay and hold me like a little kid and make me forget I even fucked up in the first place. Then I would ask you why you’re so perfect and you’d shrug and say it must be something in the water but I would know it’s just because you’re perfect by nature and you’re mine. Not Gabe’s or anyone else’s, mine.
God Patrick, why did you have to run everything?"
Pete was in floods of tears now and Patrick walked over to hold him but Pete felt stiff in his arms, like he couldn’t even bare to be touched by him.
“Gabe was never here. Never in my arms. This is for you and no one else, Pete,” Patrick said soothingly.” Look, I’m an idiot and a screw up and for God’s sakes why does the English language have no better synonyms for making a mistake? That’s all it was, a horrible drunken mistake and I was drunk. That’s probably the only think you can blame Gabe for…”
“Was it worth it?” Pete asked bitterly and Patrick shook his heads, afraid he’d start bawling if he opened his mouth.
“Is it because I can’t…?” Pete trailed off and Patrick shook his head slowly.
“Not… directly, no. It just happened and I don’t remember what I was thinking at all. That’s kind of the reason I don’t drink.”
“What, it turns you into a whore?” Pete asked cuttingly and Patrick flinched.
“That was uncalled for, Pete,” he said sadly.
“You sleeping with Gabe was uncalled for. That was just bitter wit. Get thicker skin,” Pete said coldly.
“Not all of us are made of stone, Pete,” Patrick replied.
“Not all of us are untouched by the real world,” Pete retorted.
“No Pete, you’re the one that’s untouched by the real world. People in the real world know that everyone makes mistakes, and that they’re not the only idiot in the world.”
Pete felt a dark icy tone from what Patrick had just said. One that he’d never heard before and it scared him out of replying.
“You don’t run, huh? So I’m giving you a better excuse to stop before you have to,” Patrick continued sourly.
“That’s what drove you to sleep with another guy?!” Pete barked. “A passing comment?”
“You know what, yeah!” Patrick barked back. “Whether the blade of a knife is passing over your skin or cutting it deep, you still bleed.”
Pete was wide-eyed in shock and Patrick scoffed, slightly shocked by the sudden burst of rage within him but too angry to stop.
“Don’t look so shocked Pete,” he ranted. “If it wasn’t this it would have been something else because you don’t want to commit. You’ve had less time for me since we started going out and even less since I mentioned all that stuff about ‘going the distance’.”
“It’s not my fault about--” Pete began but Patrick cut in with,
“Kirsten and her dad, I know. Dude, you work hard and I’m so appreciative of that. So grateful to you but you know, this whole ‘loving you’ thing generally means I’d like to see you outside of work from time to time.
You know, I get you’re scared. I was scared when it was my first time with a guy but Pete; we both know part of this is because you don’t want to give me your virginity. I know, it seems really connected, huh?”
“Don’t try and sit in my head and dictate to me what’s going on in there, Patrick.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“…”
“Exactly.”
Pete looked away from Patrick. His bright green eyes cut through his skin into his heart whenever he looked at them.
“You don’t want to run, go walk in the other direction, Pete, because I’m not going to drag you. Look I’m sorry. I’m pissed off right now but I am falling to pieces in my head. If you can forgive me, I promise not to mess up this bad because I can’t stand to see you hurt.”
Pete said nothing, turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
X
“You’re being a drag, Wentz!!!” Kirsten whined. They were sitting down while everyone else was up drinking, dancing or generally having fun Kirsten felt she was missing out on.
“Go and entertain yourself,” Pete shrugged.
“Why can’t you entertain me?” Kirsten asked, tugging at Pete’s hoodie for attention. “Who knows, I might go off and have sex for all you know!”
Pete scoffed. “No you wouldn’t.”
Kirsten huffed and put her hands on her hips. “How do you know?”
“Because I trust you,” Pete said gravely and looked her straight in the eyes with complete and utter faith. Before she realized what was going on, Pete’s lips bruised hers as they bumped into them hurriedly and he was pulling her closer and closer, trying to almost squeeze the life out of her, both of them ignoring the stares from the people around them.
“Jesus, Pete...” Kirsten gasped when they broke away, but Pete was looking across the room at a hurt looking Patrick.
Patrick shook his head and turned to face Greta and Pete pushed past Kirsten to get outside, muttering something about it not being the same.
X
Pete lay down outside, looking up at the sky with his 15th cigarette of the day burning away between his lips. Then he took a long drag and pulled it out to blow, watching the smoke curl and billow into the air and wished he could blow away, curl in and out of Patrick’s lungs and choke him so he could never use that gorgeous voice of his to sing anyone else to sleep at 2.A.M when they just wont go down, or talk someone else out of throwing fireworks out of the window to see what would happen. Let no more words utter out of those pretty pink lips unless they were directed at Pete and only Pete forever.
“What did you do to Patrick? Aren’t you two okay yet?”
Pete sat up and glared at Gabe darkly.
“No,” he growled, putting out his cigarette then pulling out and lighting a new one. “So you’re welcome to him.”
“You’re such a stubborn fuck, do you know that?” Gabe shook his head at Pete disappointedly and sat down next to him. “And you and I both know I’d never go out with him.”
“So he’s good enough to fuck but not good enough to stay with?!” Pete asked protectively, although the protectiveness was reluctant.
“I mean you’re going out with him yourself,” Gabe explained. “I have very little morals and stuff but that’s a line I will not cross in my lifetime.
Patrick’s a great dude and my commitment issues are a whole other ball game but I didn’t do full on cheating like you, Pete.”
“That doesn’t count. Kirsten and I are… basically separated. I just live in the same house as her and let her believe we’re still a couple!” Pete insisted and Gabe laughed.
“That’s not what it looked like in there,” he told Pete. “Maybe you should think about that next time. The pot calling the kettle a whore and all that jazz.
But that’s not my concern. Patrick is in pieces of like, pieces in there! He knows you love him and you know he loves you so make with the kissing and making up! Preferably with me watching!”
Pete glared at Gabe who held up his hands apologetically. “Too soon. Too soon.”
“Why does all the shit in the world happen to me?” Pete asked with a roar of frustration.
“Because life sucks, but you can always dull the pain without coughing up lung tissue for the rest of your life,” Gabe replied and stood up. “He’s seriously head over heels for you, man.
Think about this. When I was with him like with him last night well… let’s just say my name isn’t Pete.”
“Are you serious?!?!” Pete exclaimed and Gabe nodded, going slightly pink. “Um yeah. So what are you going to do?”
Pete rolled an unlit cigarette around in his fingers and gulped. Gabe rested his hand on Pete’s shoulder. “Come on Pete, you know he really regrets hurting you. You’re the only one he wants, hell; you’re the only one he’ll probably ever want! Please Pete, think about it man…” Gabe trailed off, looked at Pete once more and then left.
“Maybe I should give him another chance,” he muttered to himself, throwing the unlit cigarette away. “But what if he hurts me again?”
XxX
He sat for a long time having thoughts like this until his bubble was burst by a sweet voice behind him.
“Pete?” Patrick practically whispered. “Hmm?” Pete replied, not turning to face Patrick.
“Are you still mad?” Patrick asked.
“What do you think?” Pete snapped, “But I’ve tried and I’ve tried again to picture my life without you, but I can’t! All I see is this cold, empty place. Everything is so dark without you… ‘Cause you’re my star ‘Trick,” Pete broke off, by now he was standing and with every pause in his speech he’d move closer, until he was so close he could Patrick’s heartbeat. Pete sniffed and looked down. “I love you Patrick Stump…”
With that, Patrick pulled Pete into a tight kiss, kissing him desperately as if his whole life depended on it; praying Pete wouldn’t push him away. But instead Pete kissed back and it was amazing. Like a whole weight had been lifted off of Patrick’s shoulders.
“Pete? What was with--?”
A familiar female voice stopped midway through her sentence and Pete turned around to see a pale-faced Kirsten stood before him.
“P-Pete? We’re going home now, right?” she stammered. Pete looked at Patrick and the fear gathering in his chest melted away when he saw his boyfriend’s beautiful flushed face and swollen lips.
“Go on, I’ll see you later Tink,” Patrick said and Pete kissed him on the cheek.
“Get the fuck over here, Pete!!” Kirsten barked.
“I’m coming!! Keep your hair on!” Pete called back. “I just want to say goodbye to my boyfriend.”
Kirsten looked as if she’d been winded.
“What are you doing, Pete?” Patrick asked and Pete stroked his face with his thumb.
“Ever heard the one about the pot calling the kettle a whore?” he asked.
“No…wait, what?!”
“Gabe.”
“Ah.”
“Look,” Pete started. “I have to stop being a hypocrite and stop being mad at you for doing something I’m doing but worse because if I keep being such a fuck I’m going to loose you and I can’t. Not now and not ever.”
“But Decaydance!” Patrick said worriedly.
“You know what?” Pete smiled. “I’m the pessimist in this relationship and if I think there’s a way, there’s a way.”
12