I'm Just Passing The Time (Peterick Stripper AU)

If You Love Me

I coughed lightly on the air around me. I could feel myself slowly waking up as I inhaled the nonsmokey air. My head turned to the side, and I realized that it was on a pillow... And I was laying on a bed...

Was I dead?

I coughed harder, quickly abandoning that theory. Death couldn't be this painful afterwards. I felt like my lungs would come out if I kept coughing like this.

"Pete? Are you finally with us?" A familiar voice called out to me. It was a bit distant in my ears, but I could make it out as Brendon.

I slowly forced my eyes open, seeing him standing at the side of my bed. He grinned immediately after seeing my eyes open.

"You glorious son of a bitch!" He cheered, clapping his hands together. His face fell to a quick frown before he smacked my arm with the back of his hand, "Don't fucking scare me like that again! We all thought you were right behind us, but we got outside and you weren't there!"

I let out a croaked 'ow' before a weak laugh. "What even happened?.." I asked, trailing my eyes over the room I recognized as a hospital. How had I not died?..

"Spencer remembered the tunnel." Brendon began to explain, "I mean, we tried the stairs first, but the fire was already eating that up. Trying to keep Ryan from diving in to save you got him third degree burns..." He bit his lip sadly as he thought about it. "First or third degree, doctor mumbled a lot..."

"Is he alright?" I asked, coughing again. I could still feel the smokes affect on my lungs.

Brendon nodded. "Yes. Just some bandages and cream, nothing too serious." A small smile returned to his face. "But when Spencer remembered the tunnel, and how it had been blocked, we ran over to the other building. We got to break in since it was abandoned, which took awhile, but we made it down there."

I remembered the metal barrier that had almost caused me to die. How cold it felt compared to the way the smoke burned my lungs...

"The only way we found it was because we heard you." Brendon said lowly. I looked at him in confusion. "The metal." He explained, "We could hear noises on metal, and there was only one metal thing in the room."

"Someone did hear me?" I asked. Brendon nodded and my heart could of sung. That means I had gotten us out! Us...

Where was Patrick?

"When we moved it, we saw your feet." Brendon continued his story as I looked around the room, "We pulled you out, barely on the brink of consciousness. You just kept mumbling about 'save him'. Frank was the one to crawl up and find Patrick."

"Is he okay?" I questioned. I had to know I had kept my promise. I had to know I didn't let him die...

"He's still alive, but he's barely breathing." Someone else answered. Brendon stepped to the side and I saw Frank walking into the room. "He was hooked to some breathing machines, but he'll be okay."

Frank had a bandage across his eyebrow as well as a black eye right underneath it. He still gave his usual half smile, however.

"Gerard's gunna flip when he sees..." I chuckled, looking Frank over.

Frank laughed. "You missed that bit. Happened two days ago."

I blinked at him. "How many days ago?"

"Well, maybe a day and a half." Frank shrugged.

"You were out of it for awhile." Brendon stepped in, "They thought they were gonna loose you."

"Holy shit..." I looked down at myself as I mumbled the words. I was in hospital clothes. That's when something else clicked in my head. "Brendon, where are my clothes?"