A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Stables: Part Two

[wentziswack]

Part One


"I think he's going to be alright," a voice whispers as Patrick's eyes start to flutter open. He has no idea how much time has passed. He just knows he hasn't been alert, awake for a period of time. He rubs his eyes, groaning at the pain he feels in his head. But he realizes that he hasn't hit his head. Or his neck or back or anything. And he is aware of the sopping wet feeling of his clothes. He is no longer wearing the helmet.

"Oh my god, Patrick, you're awake. Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Patrick recognizes that voice as Victoria's. She sounds worried.

"Yeah, I am. Ugh, stop shrieking. I'm not dying.” He starts to sit upright, but he feels too woozy so he lies right back down.

"Rest for a moment, you had a bad fall…or something.” That's Pete's voice, and he sounds worried. And yet there might also be a hint of relief in there as well.

"Where am I?" Patrick asks, looking around. He's not in the middle of the ring anymore. It's too dark to tell where he is.

"I had Ashlee bring the horses back to the stable while we kept an eye on you. What happened? How…what the hell?" Pete's voice is nervous and Patrick is slowly starting to come back to reality. He's slowly starting to remember what happened.

"Lila reared," Patrick begins, his voice a little gravelly. He coughs, feeling as if there's maybe some water still in his lungs. Though that could just be his imagination. "I don't know how it happened, but I know that I didn't hit the ground. I hit water. How is that possible?"

"You disappeared," Victoria whispers. "I didn't believe him, but you're soaking wet. There's no other explanation. You. You fucking teleported, Patrick."

Patrick stared at Victoria with little humor in his eyes. How is it even possible that he could teleport? He never teleported before. Why now? And why into the ocean? Why not something a little more peaceful?

"You're serious…" replies Patrick, glancing over at Pete. "I just know that I almost drowned and then I came back here. So um. Huh.” He scratches the back of his head, feeling the wet hair. He shivers, his body starting to react to the cold finally.

"I think it's best if we keep this between us," says Pete, his eyes averted to the ground. He wonders if there's something Pete's not telling them. He wouldn't be surprised at this point. He'll just have to get the truth out from Pete later.

"Yeah, somehow I doubt people would believe me if I told them I teleported anyway," Patrick grumbles, staying put until he isn’t quite so dizzy anymore. He isn't sure whether it's the almost drowning/falling off the horse or the teleporting that's making him feel so out of sorts, but there's something wrong and he knows that much. He'll just have to get to the bottom of it later. When his head has stopped spinning.

"Do you think you can make it back to the cabin? I'm going to tell the guys that I sprayed you with one of the hoses, so I'd act pissy," Pete states with a wink as he starts helping Patrick up.

"I'll try. I don't think I have a concussion, do I? I mean, I didn't really hit my head. Right?" Patrick stands up and though he feels a little dizzy, it's nothing that will cause him to fall back down or throw up. It just means his balance is a bit off more than usual. As if he happened to be drunk.

"No, you didn't hit it that hard. You were really lucky; that fall would have been ugly if you hadn't teleported." There's that worry in Pete's voice again. Patrick feels sort of giddy at hearing it. It's always nice knowing someone happens to be worried about you.

"Pete. You sound worried," Patrick teases as he started to walk forward. Pete's arm snakes around his shoulders to steady him and they walk toward the cabins together. Victoria has by now disappeared but neither of them are paying much attention to that minor detail.

"Look, let's just get you back to the cabin first; you're not exactly easy to keep steady." Pete looks sternly at Patrick, who giggles and rolls his eyes. He's finding the whole situation ridiculous, but it's kind of cool knowing that he can teleport. Not to mention Pete being concerned over his well-being. Who would have thought this would happen?

Poor guy. This must be really hard for him. Patrick hears Pete's voice, but his lips aren't moving. Patrick blinks as he stares at Pete, nearly tripping over Pete's boots in the process. Why's he looking at me like that? Do I have something in my teeth?

"Pete…you're not talking…" Patrick replies, blinking confusedly. How is it that he hears Pete but Pete isn't talking? First the teleporting, now this. What is wrong with him?

"No. I'm not talking…" Pete agrees, pausing to stare at Patrick. "Your point being?"

"You um. You don't have something in your teeth," is all that Patrick says before turning bright red and looking away. Pete's thinking about his lips now.

"Wait, what? I didn't say anything…" And then Pete realizes that he thought about that and that Patrick heard him and is continuing to hear his thoughts. Well, fuck. Is nothing sacred anymore?

"Yeah, I um. Kinda am hearing what you're thinking," Patrick clarifies, his cheeks still bright red. He is pretty sure that's not going to change anytime soon.

"Let's just…get back to the cabin and worry about all of this tomorrow night. Try not to teleport or anything. I don't want you to get kicked out or…worse." That concern in Pete's voice is back and Patrick, as much as he loves it, wishes it would go away. He wishes everything were normal, that there wasn't anything for Pete to be worried about.

"This is all so weird," Patrick murmurs. "I'm such a freak of nature.” He melts against Pete, who holds him closer. Pete starts humming something in his head, presumably to keep Patrick from hearing what he's thinking.

"Tell me about it. The weird, part. You're not a freak, though. You're…well, you're kind of awesome. I mean, dude. You can teleport. You can read my mind. Other than the invasion of privacy? That's fucking awesome."

Patrick beams when he hears that. Okay, so maybe he does appreciate Pete's approval…just a little bit. "I wish I could control it though. Not for nothing, the humming thing is kind of annoying. Can't you at least pick a good song?"

Pete looks away, thankful that they've finally reached the cabin. But his thoughts shift to a different song, a melody Patrick isn't sure he's heard before. Intriguing.

"Get changed and stuff. Maybe I'll come snuggle tonight after everyone's asleep.” Pete is smirking and Patrick doesn't even need to see him to figure that out. The tone in his voice is enough.

Patrick rolls his eyes and nudges Pete away from him as he enters the cabin. But inside, he's grinning and just trying to put on a mask so that everyone in their cabin won't end up teasing them both. He doesn't need that right now.

When he enters the cabin, he is pleasantly surprised. Pete is the only person whose thoughts he can hear. When the discovery hit that he could read Pete's mind, he was a touch nervous that he would hear everyone's thoughts. And as cool as that ability was, if he can't control it, the more people he'd hear, the bigger the headache, he hypothesized.

"Where the hell have you been?" Patrick recognizes the voice as belonging to a senior counselor, Bob Bryar. He is in charge of assigning counselors their weekly duties. Patrick rarely runs into him since he isn't a counselor. "You were supposed to be back an hour ago."

"My apologies, Mr. Bryar. Must have lost track in time. I got permission, you know…" states Pete. Patrick notes how nervous Pete is. Though it is his dad's camp, Bob is the one in charge of making sure Pete still has a job. Before he was just an attendee, but now that he's getting paid? Well, Mr. Wentz likes to make sure all of his employees are in line; even his own son.

"Consider this your formal warning, Wentz. Don't do it again. And get Stump in the shower. He smells…funky.” That statement just has Patrick blushing again. Between the stench of horse sweat and the ocean brine, he isn't surprised that he smells disgusting. A shower is definitely in order.

Once Bob exits the cabin, Patrick turns to Pete, holding up a hand. He's already heard what Pete has been thinking anyway, so there's really no need to wait for Pete to say it aloud.

"I'm going. Shower. Just do your counselor duties and I'll be back by lights out." The look Pete gives him at that comment just tells him that he's made the right choice by showering now. He's pretty sure no one would be able to get to sleep with this stench, and Patrick hates feeling this gross.

"Just be careful," Pete comments, glancing at the rest of the cabin. "Social hour 'till lights out. Don't break any rules."

As the rest of the cabin is most certainly gossiping about what happened to Patrick to detain them both and make Patrick smell so vile, he slips out with a towel and his pajamas to change into. The shower is rather good, for a while. Until there's a burst of cold water and he realizes he's not alone; someone else is using one of the other showers now.

That's when the strangest thing happens. The strangest and most frightening thing at least. Patrick is about to turn the water off and change when he feels a snake slithering past his foot. He nearly shrieks, managing to contain it to only a heaving gasp. He's pressed against the shower stall as he notices that not one but several snakes are in that stall with him. He knows that he needs to get the hell out of there. This is not only unnatural and freaky, but dangerous if any of those snakes happen to be poisonous.

Grabbing the towel in a hurry, he wraps it around his waist and tries to open the stall door, but it's jammed. Or barricaded.

"Help!" Patrick shrieks, banging against the stall door. Now he's panicking; what if someone is trying to kill him or poison him? This isn't just a harmless prank.

What Patrick doesn't expect is for Pete to be opening the door just seconds later. The shower stalls are well away from the cabin, so how could Pete have heard his cry for help?

"Come on, let's get you somewhere safe," Pete insists upon eyeing the snakes that are starting to creep into Patrick's shower stall.

Patrick doesn't question this just now. He'll have to ask Pete how he knew Patrick was going to need his help tomorrow. He shivers, still mostly naked with only a towel covering his bottom half. He's too happy to still be alive with Pete having helped him to even care about the tiny detail of having to change back in the cabin. He'll just have to utilize the one small toilet and sink that they have, even if that bathroom is so small it can barely fit Patrick, let alone allow him to change.

"Let's not mention this happened, yeah?" Patrick whispers, looking up at Pete as he barges into the cabin and does not say anything to anyone as he steps into the bathroom and slips into his pajamas. He desperately needs to get to sleep and forget all of this happened. Unfortunately, he is sure that sleep won't come easy tonight.

When Patrick steps out of the bathroom, everyone else is in their beds except him. He knows lights out is soon. He looks over at Pete, who is staring at him with that same worried expression that he has come to expect from him. He wishes there was a way to make Pete stop worrying about him.

"You okay?" Pete whispers when Patrick goes right for his bunk, slipping under the covers.

"Peachy," Patrick whispers back, biting back the urge to make a sarcastic comment. He is far from okay. Snakes don't just appear out of nowhere. Then again, people don't just teleport from one place to another. Not in this world, anyway; only in the movies.

"If you get scared, just climb up," insists Pete. Patrick has the urge to do that right now but knows that it is against the rules. One kid to every bed, no matter what. He'll need to wait until the lights go out.

"Night, Pete," Patrick mumbles as he turns onto his side. The lights are turned off and he tries to go to sleep. He closes his eyes. He even counts sheep. But as soon as he gets close to sleep he sees those snakes again.

Knowing full well that sleep will be futile if he doesn't do anything, Patrick slips out of his bed and climbs up into Pete's. He isn’t all that surprised that Pete hasn't gotten to sleep yet, either.

"How'd you do it?" Patrick asks once they're in the same bed. "How'd you know I was in trouble?"

"I sensed it," replies Pete, closing his eyes. "I sensed you were in trouble and I came running inside. Everyone teased me about it before I was out of hearing distance. Called me the fucking Spider-Man and shit."

Patrick imagines Pete in spandex with a mask. Costumes are kind of a turn-on, so Patrick tries to not imagine. That would not be an appropriate reaction in this situation.

"I can't hear you," Patrick whispers, his eyes widening as he realizes that it's awfully quiet in his head. He was expecting to hear Pete's voice ramble and ramble and ramble about who knows what. "This is really weird. I teleport, I hear your thoughts, you sense my danger. There's something…there's something not right about this."

"Not to mention there's someone out to get you, 'Trick," Pete points out. Patrick feels a hand at his cheek and his breath hitches. He can't help but remember the kiss that they shared earlier. Everything about this moment makes his head spin.

"Snakes. This doesn't make sense. I had a dream about snakes and then there was the snakes in the bathroom. And I think a snake spooked Lila.” Patrick knows someone has to be doing this. These aren't just coincidences anymore.

"You need to be careful. I don't think it's going to end here. I've got a bad feeling about this.” Pete's voice wraps around Patrick's heart and his lungs and all he can do is press closer to him, squeezing him as if Pete were his lifeline.

"I'm scared, Pete. I'm just a kid.” Patrick is only just a little bit terrified of snakes. He always identified with Indiana Jones because of the snake phobia. It figures that it's the one thing that he's afraid of that's out to get him. He does vaguely remember the quote "You have nothing to fear but fear itself." Never has that been more appropriate than right now.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Not if I have anything to say about it.” Pete tips Patrick's chin up and places his lips on Patrick's. They stay in that position, both chests rising and falling in time with their warm breath exchanged through their mouths. Patrick's the first one to move, but instead of pulling back, he closes his eyes and moves his lips, turning this into a real kiss.

Pete meets the kisses with an eagerness that Patrick hasn't seen from him before. They fumble to kiss quickly, recognizing that anyone could see them kissing or hear the smacking of lips. A hand in his hair, a sigh into his mouth is all Patrick needs to know that Pete is very much interested in this kiss and in him.

When Patrick pulls away, out of breath with numb lips, his previous nerves have melted away into nothing. Pete just gives him these good vibrations, these feelings that wrap around him like a cocoon and sap up all his anxieties. He's never felt this comfortable in the face of danger before.

"I think I can sleep now," Patrick whispers. "I'm going to go to my own bunk to avoid being caught. Sweet dreams though." He presses another kiss before he does as he said he would do. He climbs down out of Pete's bunk and into his own.

"Good night," Pete whispers and Patrick hears the shifting of sheets. Pete is turning on his side and trying to get sleep himself.

Patrick falls asleep that night dreaming of a moonlit night and a trail ride on the beach. There are no snakes and everything he does, Pete does with him. As he drifts off, Patrick wonders if this is what paradise is like.

…

"Where’s Victoria?" Ashlee asks, her finger jabbing at Pete's chest. "She never came back last night and you two were the last people to see her.

Patrick's ears perk up when he hears that his friend is missing. He remembers not seeing Victoria leave the stables with them. He had hoped that she just went to find Ashlee, but apparently that is not the case.

"We thought she found you after helping me out. If I had known…" Patrick trails off, looking at Pete. Now he feels guilty about being safe and happy with Pete last night.

"We need to find her. Maja is throwing a shitfit and I don't think I can keep up excuses much longer.” Victoria's eyes glance up at the beautiful counselor with the long legs. She always wears shorts, which makes matters worse for everyone's wandering minds.

"We should retrace our steps. Go back to the barn. Maybe we can find a clue, figure out where she went," Pete suggests. Patrick feels his eyes on his face and knows full well Pete is thinking that the incident in the shower is related to Victoria's disappearance.

"I'll be there this afternoon. I have stall cleaning duty," Ashlee states with a long sigh. "I hate being a counselor sometimes."

Patrick chews on his lip as he gets up and brings his tray of food that's only half-eaten to the garbage so he can throw it out. He is half-aware of the pair of eyes that are digging into the back of his skull. He can feel it like a laser burrowing right into his skin and he gasps, his hand moving to the back of his head, as if that would make the pain stop. He turns around to see who could have been the source of that pain. What he sees is not at all surprising.

Gabe Saporta, that creep, is staring at him with that smirk that he always wore around Victoria. He is starting to wonder if maybe he has something to do with Victoria's disappearance. But what could he possibly do to kidnap Victoria without anyone knowing?

When Patrick returns to the table, a new discussion has begun. He's not at all surprised to find that Pete has taken it upon himself to make sure Ashlee knows of the new developments in his supernatural abilities.

"You can teleport and read Pete's mind? Man, I'm sorry about the last one, but awesome!" It figures that Ashlee would see this as a gift and not a curse. Patrick doesn't see anything awesome about being able to read Pete's mind. Even if he can't really read it anymore. He wonders if that was a one time thing. Maybe the teleporting was, too.

"Yeah. So awesome, I have snakes determined to get rid of me," Patrick sarcastically comments, rolling his eyes. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have arts and crafts power hour soon. I'd really like to avoid getting a stern talking-to when I could just be making beaded keychains."

Pete snorts at that and just smacks a kiss on Patrick's cheek, noting how pink the skin got afterward. "Make me a keychain, bitch."

"Oh fuck you," Patrick murmurs, touching the spot where Pete kissed. He keeps telling himself that he doesn't mind everyone knowing he's with Pete, but he knows that's not true. He really kind of does mind. He doesn't want the teasing.

"Not now, there are too many people around!" Pete retaliates, grinning at Patrick's flustered look. He is definitely plotting revenge right now. Pretty soon, he can sense Pete stripped naked and tied to a bed. Okay, perhaps that is not the best thing to imagine.

"Oh my god, I do not need to know any of this," Ashlee mumbles, her own face turning bright red. "Patrick, Patrick think of something else please."

"Wait, what?" Patrick asks, his eyes blinking in confusion. "Don't tell me you can hear me now."

"Okay I won't tell you then. But I can hear your thoughts.” Ashlee looks like she's mumbling something to herself, as if she's trying to overpower the thoughts. Great, Patrick isn't able to think of anything but the prior scenario.

"I'm gonna go. To um. Save Ashlee's fragile mind," Patrick glances over at Pete and gives him a shy smile before going off to arts and crafts. He just knows that he's not going to be able to concentrate on the beading while he's worried about Victoria. He knows he'll need to get to the bottom of this as soon as he can.

…

The rain is not exactly unexpected. It was in the weather forecast, but Patrick had sort of hoped that it would come later. Not when he was looking forward to swimming. Or really looking forward to seeing Pete in his bathing trunks, because yeah.

But now everyone is being herded into the barn for movies while the rain pours down outside, the occasional flicker of lightning followed by the booming of thunder frightening the horses and maybe some of the campers as well. Patrick used to like movie time, but not when Pete being half naked is involved.

Though the good thing about movie time is that Patrick can sneak into the back with Pete and take a seat on one of the haystacks and completely not pay attention to the movie. Luckily Hayley, the swim instructor, does not seem to care all that much about watching everyone else so long as there is very little talking throughout the movie. And what Pete has been planning, apparently, requires little talking.

Patrick feels the arm around him first, followed by a hand, fingers dipping under his chin to direct Patrick's head to turn towards Pete. Then there are lips on his, moving slowly to massage against Patrick's and make him feel that same contentment he felt before. At least he knows now what to do in order to feel good and calm: he needs to kiss Pete.

And with the way Pete's tongue presses into his mouth and rubs against his own, the way his breath sometimes comes attached to a moan, and the way Pete's fingers seem to have taken a liking to his cheek, is enough for Patrick to decide that kissing Pete is not a bad way to bring himself back to a calm reality.

When they break apart, they get about two seconds of quiet before there's a certain shrieking noise. Patrick jumps up, startled as he hears a horse rearing in its stall, followed by the girls screaming for help. Then he sees the problem: snakes. Nearly hundreds of snakes slithering across the ground towards them. He can only guess that there are snakes getting into the horse's stalls, too.

He feels Pete's hand grope for his and so he glances over at his friend. He's thankful for the ability to hear Pete's thoughts so that he doesn't have to hear them vocalized. He isn't sure he wants anyone else to hear what Pete is thinking, projecting at Patrick.

We need to get out of here. Can you teleport? Pete's worried face nearly breaks Patrick's heart. He can't just get himself out of here. He needs to find a way to get at least Pete out of here, if no one else. He doesn't want to abandon them, though.

I can try. But what about you? Patrick projects back to Pete. He can tell by the shrug Pete gives him that he actually heard Pete. Great, the two of them have this weird psychic bond. This is not good. Or maybe just a little too good.

He is given no time to think though because there is a giant anaconda that's slithering out from among the rest. That's Patrick's cue to leave or be killed. He wraps his arms around Pete because he is at least going to try and bring Pete with him. If he can't bring Pete with him then he's just going to have to find a way to get rid of these godforsaken snakes.

Closing his eyes, Patrick concentrates hard to envision a place where they could go that would be safe and would have no one around to see Patrick teleport. He is thankful for the snakes; they're enough of a diversion to get out of here without anyone noticing, at least.

When Patrick opens his eyes, he is by the lake that rarely gets used anymore. He feels Pete in his arms and knows that it worked; he teleported Pete with him.

"We need to get to the bottom of all of this. First the snake spooks my horse, then Victoria vanishes. The snakes in the shower, and now this? There's something not right about all of this. Someone is controlling these snakes.” Patrick lets go of Pete and paces back and forth. "I don't like this one bit. It's just…so weird. I mean, we discover these weird abilities and suddenly snakes start attacking us. Do you think it's connected?"

"It's gotta be connected," Pete replies as he watches Patrick pace around. "There's no way it isn't. It's too much of a coincidence for all these weird things to start happening at once."

Pete has got a point, and Patrick pauses to turn towards him. He takes a step closer, his brain starting to work as he tries to determine what the common denominator in all of this is. And then he remembers that feeling he had earlier. When Gabe was staring at him and his head - his brain - started hurting him. He wonders if that has anything to do with this.

"You're friends with Gabe, aren't you?" Patrick asks, trying to think calmly about this whole situation. Maybe Pete would know more about him than Patrick does.

"Yeah, why? What do you wanna know?" Pete asks, glancing at Patrick with an air of skepticism. Patrick doesn't blame him though. That would be like insinuating that Victoria has something to do with all of this as well.

"When we were at breakfast this morning, I was tossing out my lunch and I felt him staring at me. It was almost like…giving me this huge migraine," states Patrick, rubbing the back of his head as the memory still affected him. "There's something weird about him. I was wondering if you might know anything that I don't know."

"He's a great guy. There's no way he's involved in this crazy scheme," Pete snaps in a venomous tone that sends shivers down Patrick's spine.

"Hey, I'm sure he's innocent, but it was just weird is all. Plus the whole thing with Victoria last year. He was a jackass, plain and simple," Patrick shrugs, taking a step back and looking over at the lake. "We need to help those kids. I don't know what the snakes are about but if this is a plan to kill people, we need to stop it now. And if that means interrogating Gabe, then maybe you should be the one to do it."

"So you want me to talk to Gabe," Pete mumbles, rubbing at his temple. "Okay, I'll do it. If it'll make you happy, I'll see what I can find out."

"Be careful," Patrick replies in a soft voice, moving close to Pete and wrapping his arms around his neck. "I don't trust him. You might, but there's something…off about him." He leans his head on Pete's shoulder and sighs when Pete's arms wrap back around him.

"I thought I could trust him, but if what you say is true…the bad vibe thing? I'll talk to him, okay? I trust you and if you say something's wrong then I am more inclined to believe you than trust him.” Pete presses his lips to Patrick's cheek. "We need to be careful. If there's some plot afoot then we need to have our wits about us."

"Which is exactly why I'm not teleporting back. We're walking back and seeing if we can find anything on the way. What time is it?" Patrick asks, starting to get worried about all of this. He just doesn't want anyone innocent to get hurt if all of this is a plot to get them both.

"It's nearly lunch time. Let's get lunch and then see if we can't talk to Ashlee before she's supposed to check around the stables. We need to act like nothing's wrong. Go about the day like nothing's wrong. It's bad enough we can…do stuff. I don't want to bring further attention to ourselves by suspecting something wrong."

"Of course. We'll be okay.” Patrick squeezes Pete tightly and presses his lips to Pete's. "Thank god you're here. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you or if you weren't at my side.” Patrick turns about three shades of bright red at admitting that to Pete. And to think, he was worried that Pete would reject him. Now that he has Pete in his arms, he can't believe that was ever a concern.

"We've got something special, 'Trick. I'm not too sure what is going on but knowing I can count on you, knowing that you and I have something is enough to keep me going.” Pete tips Patrick's chin up and presses a kiss to his lips. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you for as long as I can. But if you ever get in any danger, I want you to teleport right out of there, okay? Don't do anything stupid like try to play the hero."

Patrick nods, grinning widely as he pulls back from Pete, starting to lead the way back to the camp. "I won't, don't you worry. I'm not much of a hero type. I'm more of a run away from danger type."

Pete smiles as he starts after Patrick, taking his hand in his and lacing their fingers together. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want to lose you so soon after finding you. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't ever kiss you again."

Patrick's blush is back and he hides under his hat, looking down at the ground. "Well, I'm sure you'd manage. It isn't like there aren't about a dozen more people willing to make out with you or anything."

Pete rolls his eyes as he squeezes Patrick's hand. "You really don't get it, do you?" He pauses to turn to Patrick and stops him by grabbing his shoulders. "I'm not settling with you. You are my best friend. I don't care that you're two years younger than me. I don't care what my friends think. You are my soulmate, Patrick Martin Stump. If I didn't have you to kiss on lonely nights then life would just not be very satisfying at all."

Once Pete is finished speaking, Patrick can't say anything. He can't think of what he should do, what he wants to do. He's frozen in place, all of Pete's words filtering into his mind, wrapping around him like ribbon and sticking until he grasps the full meaning. He never expected to hear this from Pete. Pete is one of those boys that just was never interested in guys like Patrick. And here he stands, telling Patrick all these sweet words that Patrick wants to believe.

"So you're saying that no matter what happens with this whole thing…you're saying that you'll like. Wow.” Patrick can't even figure out how to say it. It's absurd to think that Pete might actually like him as much as he says he does. He thought this would just be a summer fling and now it's looking a little bit more serious than that.

"I'm saying that I've liked you since I realized I liked boys, but you were too young to hit on and then you seemed to like Victoria so I just…I backed off. And then you told me that you liked me and that was the best thing that I ever heard. So thank you, Patrick. Because you know, if it weren't for you, I don't know what my life would be like. It'd be boring, obviously."

"You thought I liked Victoria?" Patrick asks with wide eyes. He starts laughing, hunched over and completely amused with this situation. "No, man. She's my friend and all but I didn't like her. She liked Ashlee, you know."

Pete's eyes widen as he puts two and two together. "Oh god. That's why she nearly slapped me that night of the ice cream social. You really need to tell her there are easier ways to get people into your pants.” He smirks as he wraps his arm around Patrick's waist and starts guiding them back to the campgrounds.

"Yeah, she suggested that we pretend to date to make you two jealous. I said no," Patrick replies with a shrug. "I'm glad I didn't do that. It would probably have made things worse in the long run and I wouldn't be kissing you right now."

"I'm glad you didn't. I would have backed off further and we might never have dated…ever.” Pete frowns and Patrick feels his heart clench tightly at that thought. Now he's really thankful that he didn't do something that stupid. He'll have to remember to tell Victoria about all of this and they can laugh about how they almost fucked things up for probably the both of them.

"Let's go eat lunch and then solve this mystery, save the day, and ride some fucking horses, shall we?" Patrick offers Pete his elbow. Pete gladly takes him up on this offer and they both walk back to the mess hall feeling just a little bit better about the world around them.

…

"Where's Ashlee?" Pete mumbles into Patrick's ear as they walk toward the stables for their nightly session of riding. Patrick hasn't ridden at all that day because he doesn't want a repeat of the previous night. What if he teleports in broad daylight with more spectators?

"I don't know. I haven't seen her all day. You don't think she…" Patrick trails off as he thinks worriedly about how Victoria and Ashlee could now be in the same place. Oh god, what if they're dead? Patrick shudders, thinking about how he might have prevented all of this. But could he really prevent any of this? He can't predict the future, after all.

"No. No she can't fucking be, she's probably just late.” Pete paces around nervously, his hands in his pockets. Even though they were just friends, Pete is worried about what might have happened to her. Much more worried than about Victoria, who is right now Patrick's main concern, of course.

"We can't do the riding then. We have got to use this time to investigate. I don't care if you think she's just late, Victoria's not here and I'm worried sick.” Patrick isn't cut out for this sort of work. He's just a teenager and this investigation business is an adult's job. But who is going to believe them? Who is going to understand about the snakes and the teleporting without thinking they're crazy?

"I wish Gabe were around. I never got to talk to him so I have no idea if he's a suspect in all of this," Pete mumbles with a grumble. "Oh if he has anything to do with Ashlee getting hurt, he is dead, I don't care how much of a friend he supposedly is."

"Wait, you didn't see Gabe? Was he missing from anything?" Patrick asks, his ears perking up. Perhaps if Gabe really had disappeared, he has something to do with this. Either that or he is just another one of the disappearing campers. All of which seem to know either Pete or Patrick. Interesting.

"He missed the counselor's meeting before dinner," Pete replies with wide eyes. Ashlee wasn't at that meeting either, he realizes after he speaks. "You don't think…"

"I don't know, but if both of them were missing, I would bet there is something sinister going on," says Patrick, taking a few steps forward before wrapping his arms around Pete. "We'll get her back, okay? And Victoria."

"What do we do first?" Pete asks, leaning into Patrick's embrace. He's not so sure they'll get them back, but he's definitely not giving up without at least a fight. Fuck no; if Ashlee is out there somewhere, Pete is going to get her back or he's going to die trying.

"Well if it isn't Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee," a voice says from behind the two of them. From…the pond right by the stables.

Patrick's head turns so quickly it almost gives him whiplash. Emerging from the lake is an ethereal being, a woman clothed in glowing white. Patrick vaguely has images of the Lady of the Lake; only Patrick knows he's not King Arthur about to receive Excalibur.

"Hello Patrick, Peter. I think it's about time we met, don't you?" She looks absolutely flawless and if Patrick weren't in love with Pete already, he could definitely find himself falling for this woman. Creature. Thing.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Pete snaps, clearly not handling this new appearance quite as easily as Patrick seems to be.

"Relax, Peter. You can retract your claws; I mean you no harm. My name is Greta and I inhabit this lake. I am the guardian of these campgrounds. You see, long ago, there was a great battle that took place right here. I defended these grounds then, until my death, and my spirit took up residence here. But now there is about to be an even bigger battle. One that perhaps might determine the fate of this world, not just this land. You are to be the two warriors that defend this world, but first we must give you the proper weapons.” Greta's voice is very soothing and inspires Patrick, makes him calm enough to accept what she has to say.

"And how exactly are the two of us going to defend this place against…whatever it is we're even up against?" Pete points out, looking at her skeptically.

"Ah, Peter, always the skeptic. But that's good, that's why you were called upon. We need someone who is not easily swayed to go up against King Cobra.” Greta gestures to the both of them and glides forward until she's no longer in the lake but standing solidly on the ground before them both. "You have discovered that you are not normal human beings by now. You will have an easier time against these creatures than you think."

"But what good will teleporting and reading minds be against these…creatures or whatever it is we're going up against?" Pete replies, narrowing his eyes. Patrick is too busy staring at Greta and trying to come to terms with the whole battle scenario to even add in his two cents.

"That is not all you are capable of, my dears. Do you know why you have this great power?" Greta asks the both of them, circling around them and bringing the strangest warm feeling with her, surrounding both boys and making them feel safe.

"Well, I assume it has something to do with preparing us for this battle…" responds Pete. He isn't actually sure what is going on other than some straight up crazy shit that he only hopes is just a dream.

"You weren't random choices, my boys. You are direct descendants of the great warriors that once appeared on this very battlefield and slayed dragons and other wicked creatures. It was many years ago, but the smallest link remains. Your family will not know these people, of course. Your powers remained dormant until the need to use them arose."

"So if we succeed, will we no longer have powers?" Patrick asks, finally speaking up. His voice is but a tiny squeak since he is so nervous around this woman. She just seems much more beautiful than any woman he has ever laid eyes on.

"Trick…stop drooling," Pete mumbles, rolling his eyes. He does not like this situation one bit, especially now that it apparently has Patrick googly-eyed.

"If you succeed, which I know you will, your powers will remain. Once they are awakened, they cannot be put to sleep. But your children will not have them.” As she spoke the last line, she looks at Pete, a tiny hint of a smirk on her lips, as if she knows something that neither boy knows. Which, considering this whole conversation, is not at all surprising.

"Children?" Patrick repeats the world, letting it slip off his tongue as he eyes Pete. Of course if anything continues with Pete, any idea of children would be completely out of the question. But it is nice to think about what-ifs, and he imagines a darling girl with skin the color of Pete's and strawberry blond hair.

"Yes, Patrick. Children. Now, as much as I love teasing you two, it's time to get down to business. If you two are to get anywhere in this battle, you will need weapons.” She reaches behind her back and pulls out a sword that glimmers in the moonlight. "This is for you, Patrick. Keep it safe and it will slay anything it strikes. Be careful to slay the right creatures, however. It does kill the innocent, of course."

Patrick's mouth drops as he lays his eyes on the weapon and holds his hand out to accept the sword, admiring the craftsmanship. It strangely doesn't feel heavy at all despite its size.

"What do you have for me?" Pete asks skeptically, his eyes focused on the sword. He isn't sure there is anything Greta could offer her that Pete would be able to wield. He isn't very weapon savvy, and he's pretty sure that Patrick isn't either. Why the world is dependent on them rather than on people that actually knew how to fight is beyond his knowledge.

"You get a bow and arrow," she states, her hand reaching behind her back to show Pete the longbow complete with a quiver of arrows. "The arrows will never run out no matter how many you waste. May your aim always be true."

"Whoa. I've never shot a bow and arrow in my life and you expect me to be able to defend this godforsaken place?" Pete asks, his temper flaring. He doesn't mean to take this out on Greta; he's just afraid of what will happen if they inevitably fail.

"Peter, please. You think I would choose just anyone?" She snaps her fingers and a target appears several hundred feet in the distance. "To prove that you aren't just anyone I want you to try and aim an arrow at that target. You will find that sometimes such actions come intuitively."

Pete opens his mouth to protest but Greta holds her hand up to silence him. He relents finally, taking the bow and fingering the elastic string, admiring the intricate design on the limbs. It happens to be a pretty weapon for such a dark deed that is being asked of him.

"Fine. But only to prove you wrong," Pete mumbles as he takes one of the arrows from the quiver and lines up the feather part of the arrow with the string, using his index finger to steady the pointed tip. Once he lines up the arrow, sticking the notched end of the arrow into the string, he pulls the string back until he anchors his thumb of his right hand against his cheek. His index and middle fingers of his right hand keep the feathered end of the arrow in place while he aims the arrow just a little bit above bull's-eye. In one quick move, he lets go of his right hand and watches as the arrow soars through the air and hits the target, just missing bull's-eye.

Patrick gapes as he realizes that Pete has just about hit the target's bulls-eye. Granted, moving targets will be harder to hit, this is a little more promising if Pete actually can work a bow and arrow. It's a little surprising and gives him hope that maybe - just maybe - he will be able to work a sword as well.

"See, Peter? You are capable of using that weapon. I would not trust just anyone with a bow.” Greta smiles, pleased at this turn of events. "You will not be alone, either. Once you recover the women, you will have two others helping you."

It's Pete's turn to gape now as he realizes that Victoria and Ashlee happen to be a pawn in this battle. He never expected that Ashlee, of all people, would be special.

"Yes, Peter. Ashlee is just like you but she doesn't know it yet. Soon enough both Victoria and Ashlee will figure out how to teleport. When that time comes, you must bring them to me. I need to give them their weapons before the battle takes place."

Patrick smiles as he envisions Victoria wielding some glorious weapon right by his side. He feels much more secure about all of this knowing that he isn't alone, and neither is Pete. They both have help and even though four still seems like such a small number, winning seems just a little more possible now.

"Okay. So we don't need to find them? They'll get out on their own?" Pete asks, still concerned about Ashlee's safety. Because if anything happens to her…well, it would be just as bad as if Patrick were missing.

Patrick glances over at Pete, the obsession he seems to have over Ashlee is a little disconcerting. He knows - he can feel it - that Pete definitely has these intense feelings for Patrick, but he can't help feeling just a tiny bit jealous every time Pete gets defensive over Ashlee. He just doesn't understand how Pete can have those same sorts of feelings for Ashlee at the same time.

"They will be back after lights out. For now you should get some rest. Tomorrow you can bring them back to this lake. After that? Well, the rest is what you make of it.” Greta blows them each a kiss and starts retreating for the lake again. "I will be praying for you both. I know that you are capable of winning."

Patrick smiles as he watches her disappear back into the lake and then looks down at the sword he's holding. He swipes at the air, as if practicing against an imaginary opponent. He has never fenced in his life, and yet his body seems to know the exact sorts of movements that are necessary to use a sword.

"We need to figure out how we are going to hide these. Not for nothing but we aren't supposed to have these and if my dad finds out we're smuggling these in, he'll kill me." Pete chews his lip as he tosses the quiver onto his back with the shoulder strap.

"I have an idea.” Patrick blinks as he holds the sword up to the moonlight. When he first teleported after nearly falling off the horse, he ended up in an ocean, almost drowning to death. Now if he could just teleport a little bit closer to land, he just might be able to send the weapons to a safe place where no one would recover them. "I have to scout it first. You stay here."

He doesn't waste any time, shoving the sword towards Pete, who takes it reluctantly and watches Patrick vanish into thin air.

The boy reappears with a pop in the ocean again and struggles to swim up. At least this time he's not falling, so the force doesn't propel him further towards the bottom. He's able to get up to the surface and scouts out an island nearby. If it's truly deserted, it would be the perfect place to stash their weapons so that no one would find them.

He swims doggy paddle to the shore and steps onto soft, pristine sand. There doesn't seem to be any sign of life here. If there's anyone living here, they don't seem to make use of the beach at all.

Even if someone lived here, Patrick reasons with himself, they could surely bury their weapons in the sand and mark them somehow. He just hopes no one else takes them. That would really hinder the situation and would most definitely spell out doom for the whole world.

When Patrick reappears, Pete nearly stumbles backwards; he wasn't quite expecting Patrick's re-entry so soon.

"The coast is clear. We'll be okay to leave them there.” He holds his hands up as if he were planning on initiating pattycake. "Just try to concentrate on what I'm thinking of. We'll try to teleport there together."

Pete blinks and looks at Patrick like he has several beady eyes. "But I can't teleport."

"You can, you just haven't tried to yet. Trust me, you'll be okay, just concentrate on me.” Patrick smiles as Pete lifts his hands. He kind of likes the rush he gets from teleporting and hopes that Pete likes it, too.

"Okay, but if this doesn't work…" Pete sticks the bow in the quiver so he can teleport without a problem. Patrick quickly tucks his sword in his belt loop for now. Once they are ready, Patrick closes his eyes and envisions that island. He disappears and reappears in the same place with the pristine sand and the thick grass lining the sand dunes. Pete is right there with him, their weapons still attached.

"Well, it's nice to know that we won't have to worry about the weapons at least. Now let's hide them somewhere in case there are people here and get back to the camp. I am wiped out," Patrick mumbles as he hides his sword in the grass, covering it with leaves and sand. He hopes that it will be enough of a deterrent to anyone passing by the beach.

"Aw, you poor thing," Pete mumbles as he hides his bow and quiver of arrows next to Patrick's sword, covering it similarly. He makes his way over to Patrick and wraps his arms around him. "Let's get you home shall we? Teleport us back."

Patrick grins as he feels Pete's arms around him and snakes his arms back around Pete's waist. "Yeah, yeah. I have to do all the work around here," he teases.

Closing his eyes, Patrick envisions the lake where they met Greta and with two pops, they arrive back at the campgrounds. Patrick is eternally grateful for the cover of nightfall and the lack of anyone else around.

"Sleep time? I think I'll need all my energy for this oncoming battle that Greta spoke of," says Pete, pulling back from Patrick and holding out his hand for Patrick.

"Yeah, you're telling me. I'm really worried about this. I don't feel ready to take on the King Cobra or whatever it is we're facing." Patrick sighs as he takes Pete's hand and makes his way back to the cabins with Pete by his side.

"Well, either way, we've gotta do something. With Ashlee and Victoria back, we just might be able to pull something off.” He sighs as well, glancing up at Patrick with a look of worry that Patrick knows all too well by now.

"Yeah, I hope we stand a chance. A lot of things have changed since this initial battle happened," Patrick mumbles, starting to feel a defeatist attitude come over him. He just found out Pete likes him and now he has to take on these creatures that Greta talked about? He doesn't want to die so soon, so young. Though if the world ends without him lifting a finger, then that's not all that much better.

"I have faith in you, Patrick. And Victoria and Ashlee. Together, we just might stand a chance.” Pete squeezes his hand and Patrick is grateful to see the cabin come into view. Between the snakes and seeing Greta, he knows he is in great need of sleep.

"Have a good night's sleep, Pete," Patrick mumbles. "We aren't late I hope. Bob was ready to fire you last time if you messed up again…"

"No, we're not late. The whole thing with Greta and the weapons didn't take more than an hour, I'm sure of it," Pete replies in a hushed whisper.

And sure enough, with their return, the entire cabin has been waiting for them, just horsing around and playing games. Patrick is relieved that Pete hasn't been fired. Without Pete around, Patrick is sure that they would lose and the world would be as good as gone.

Once they slip back into the cabin, Patrick wastes no time getting into his pajamas. Even though it's not lights out for another half hour, he wants to get some extra time in bed before the wake up call the next morning.

Pete on the other hand makes sure that everyone is present before getting into his pajamas. He takes a seat on Patrick's bunk and glances up at the other boy, who is putting his clothes away, unlike everyone else who seems to enjoy making a mess more than being neat.

"It's going to be alright," says Pete, noting a very faint nervousness in the way Patrick holds himself. "We're gonna get through this somehow. I sense it."

Patrick chews his lip as he takes a seat next to Pete. He places his hand over Pete's and squeezes. "I hope so. I don't want to have found you for nothing. I don't want to die."

"Do you have a free period tomorrow?" asks Pete, averting his eyes from Patrick out of embarrassment for what he is about to suggest. "I have off between lunch and riding."

"I could skip swim. What do you have in mind?" Patrick is quite intrigued about what Pete is thinking. It's not every day Pete gets flustered like this.

"Well, if we are going to die…" Pete's voice is a whisper as he speaks. "I would very much like to at least know what it's like, you know? I don't want to die a virgin."

Patrick understands as soon as Pete explains it; he wants to have sex with Patrick. Which, he's pretty sure, happens to be illegal. Though he isn't sure about the state of Illinois, which is where the camp is located, so for all he knows it could be perfectly fine. But wow, sex with Pete.

"I don't know…I mean we just started dating…" Patrick mumbles, starting to feel flustered himself. He isn't sure he is ready for that, even if they might die.

"Yeah, I know, but I've known you for years. Well, many summers, at least. We're really good friends so like…it wouldn't be too soon, you know?" states Pete, chewing on his lip nervously. "I don't want to push you into it, of course. It's just a suggestion. Like. If you want to do it, I'd be willing."

Patrick smiles at that and feels his heart beating rapidly. He's glad that none of the other guys are listening in right now. This is much too intimate a conversation to allow for anyone else to eavesdrop. "You know what? I'll spend the time with you and we can see where it takes us. I don't want to promise that I won't chicken out, but we can try."

Pete grins as he leans into Patrick and presses a kiss to his jawline. He sighs as he traces a finger along Patrick's thigh which is clothed with pajama pants. "Get some sleep, okay? Tomorrow might be a much bigger day than we thought."

"You get some sleep, too. I mean it. No staying up and staring at the ceiling and counting how many dots there are,” Patrick commands, narrowing his eyes at Pete. "You know the drill. If you're not getting to sleep, my bunk is always open.

Pete grins and hugs Patrick tightly. Someone snickers and mentions something possibly derogatory, but the pair ignores it in favor of kissing each other goodnight. Pete climbs up onto the top bunk and then sticks his head down the side of the bunk and blows Patrick a kiss.

As soon as the lights go out, both are on their way to sleep. That night, Pete doesn't even need to climb into Patrick's bunk to get to sleep. Instead, he dreams of slaying dragons and snakes and kissing Patrick. It's the best night's sleep he's had in years.

…

Pete lays Patrick down onto the bed. No one else is around and so the two indulge in a little bit of afternoon delight. (When Pete calls it that, Patrick really has to resist the urge to start singing the song. Pete starts laughing so hard he cries and it delays them for a good five minutes.)

"We don't have to go all the way, alright? I don't want to hurt you and we definitely don't have the time for that," Pete whispers as he kisses behind Patrick's ear. "I just wanted to spend some time with you without everyone else around."

Patrick blushes as he spreads himself out across the bunk. They chose Patrick's bunk so that if anyone accidentally rolls off the bed, the crash is a lot less dangerous. He smiles as he leans up to capture Pete's lips in a rather chaste kiss. "Thanks. I don't think I'm up for…y'know…that kind of sex just yet."

But Patrick knows that there's a whole world beyond just full out penetrative sex. Just because the only orgasms he's had were self-produced doesn't mean he hasn't seen far too much gay porn for a fifteen-year-old boy.

"We'll just see where the moment takes us, okay?" Pete whispers as his hands push underneath Patrick's shirt and brushes against pale, untouched skin. Of everything they could be doing in this moment, feeling Patrick's skin is by far the most worthwhile and the most satisfying thing to be doing.

"Of course," Patrick mumbles, his skin turning a shade of crimson as blood rushes to the surface, his cheeks heating up at the inspection Pete seems to be giving his entire body.

Pete doesn't stop there, of course. He carefully places Patrick's glasses and hat on floor next to his bed and tugs at Patrick's shirt. It doesn't come easily, because Patrick doesn't exactly want to cooperate with Pete to get it off. He's a stubborn little self-conscientious boy.

"Can I take this off?" Pete asks, pouting as his hands brush against that soft skin, as if he is trying to convince Patrick with soft touches. If that is his intention, it sure as hell is helping. Like the kisses, Pete's touch helps make Patrick feel so incredibly safe.

"Y-yeah," Patrick mumbles shakily, not sure he likes the idea of Pete seeing his top half without clothes, but if he's going to be doing anything sexual with Pete, he's going to need to see him naked anyway.

Pete peels the shirt off of Patrick carefully, his mouth opening at how much perfect, pale skin he's met with. Patrick looks just so damn good and Pete knows that he's going to have too great a time mapping out every inch of it.

"You look fine," Pete whispers into Patrick's ear, licking the shell. "I'm gonna suck you off, okay?"

If words are enough to melt a person, they definitely are doing a good job at melting Patrick. Just the image of Pete's mouth around his cock is enough to make it twitch and he knows that he isn't going to last nearly long enough. Teenage hormones make lasting long at all a real issue. He only hopes Pete won't be too disappointed with him.

After the shirt comes Pete's shirt as well. Pete's skin is so unbelievably tan compared to Patrick's skintone. Patrick considers Pete so lucky for being able to tan so well without burning. He doesn't realize that Pete's tan isn't quite from sunbathing. He realizes that though, shortly after their pants and boxers come off.

Pete grins as he admires Patrick's naked body, his fingers trailing from head to toe, meandering across Patrick's stomach and down his thigh, deliberately avoiding the one region he knows Patrick wants touched the most. He presses kisses against his chest as Pete's fingers massage at his thighs, making Patrick's cock fully erect.

Patrick knows what's coming next, so when Pete's tongue starts to lick a stripe across his cock, he doesn't jerk up in surprise. He can already feel the onset of orgasm and hopes that Pete doesn't try to do anything fancy for fear that he won't even get to finish before Patrick's finished.

When Pete's mouth finally makes its way down Patrick's shaft, a moan escapes Patrick's mouth. He counts himself incredibly lucky that no one is around to hear it. He's pretty sure if anyone walked in on them right now, they would possibly be expelled from this program and quite possibly pushed away by both their families. Well, Patrick knows he would be pushed away by his own, at least.

The whole experience can only be summed up with one word: incredible. Patrick's hand wanders to Pete's head, fitting carefully against his scalp as he rubs at it and tugs Pete's hair. He has never had a blowjob before - Pete happens to be his first lover, of course - and so this was most definitely a new experience. A very welcome new experience, nonetheless.

But since Patrick has never done anything remotely like this, he can't possibly last much longer. Sure enough as Pete bobs his head up and down, his tongue doing something quite nice to the sensitive vein on the underside of his cock, he feels that familiar warmth pooling in his stomach, reminding him why he spent so much time masturbating in the first place.

"Fuck, Pete. I'm almost there," he mumbles in warning. It doesn't take much more than a few more bobs of Pete's head before Patrick is spilling into his mouth. Pete swallows everything, or at least what he can manage to swallow, and keeps his mouth firmly around Patrick's cock until it's flaccid again.

"You're so amazing," Pete whispers once he pulls off Patrick's cock and wipes his lips of the remaining cum. "You're going to knock 'em dead, I know it. You will have absolutely no problem in this fight."

"Yeah…says you," Patrick mumbles as he regains his breath and focuses on Pete instead of letting his mind focus on the impending doom. Getting Pete off would be a nice distraction.

"Yeah. Says me," Pete retaliates with a grin as Patrick pushes Pete onto the ground and wipes that grin off his face with a deep, passionate kiss.

Patrick wastes no time with this. While he kisses Pete, his mouth making quick movements and Pete's moving equally quickly, he wraps a hand around Pete's cock. He only ever dreamed of this happening before and now that it is really happening, he is pretty sure that he's just going to end up getting hard all over again.

The moans that Pete makes are no match with Patrick's before, but they're loud, almost obnoxious. Patrick is almost sure that Pete is overacting, as if trying to make Patrick feel better about being inexperienced. But then Pete's hips are bucking up against his hand and he knows by the jerking movements that he's not at all pretending. Those are natural reactions and that just makes Patrick feel much better about what he's doing.

It gives Patrick confidence, really, and he tries different things to see how Pete would react. His other hand squeezes Pete's thigh, trails fingers across his balls and even pushes inside of Pete's entrance. That last action is what eventually sends him over the edge, and Pete finishes off with a moan of Patrick's name.

Patrick stares at his friend in shock over what they had just done together. He grabs a tissue and wipes off his hand as he mulls over what just happened. Seeing Pete's face as he had come undone, a face twisted in pleasure, is quite possibly the most memorable image in his head right now. He knows now that no matter what happens during this battle, he will be able to hold onto that image for a long time. Even if he has to keep that image in whatever afterlife is waiting for them.

"I know you said I'm amazing, but I think you just one-upped me," Patrick mumbles with a chuckle as he presses a kiss to Pete's cheek. "You want first shower or shall I take it?"

"Jesus, Stump, you get me off and don't even want to cuddle?" Pete teases, poking Patrick's side. He knows they don't have nearly enough time to spend cuddling if they want to shower and get rid of the sex and sweat smell they most certainly embody right now.

"Shush or I'll never blow you ever," Patrick teases right back, sticking his tongue out. The smack that he gets from Pete is evidence that he should never ever say that again.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to shower first. Unless you want to take a shower together," Pete jokes, his eyebrows waggling.

Patrick snorts, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "No thanks. I would love to but we'd never get out of the damn shower and we'd get caught. There will be plenty of time for joint showers after we save the world."

"Ah yes, save the world. Let's finish off the day and go steal away Victoria and Ashlee and fill them in on what has been happening.” Pete grins as he blows a kiss to Patrick, grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist as he scurries out of the cabin towards the shower stalls.

Patrick watches him leave and sighs happily. He can still feel the tingling from his orgasm and decides that now would be a wonderful time for a quick nap before a shower. He pulls on his boxers and lies down, the image of Pete and the look on his face as he came burning brightly underneath his eyelids.

Part Three