Distance Between Us | Peterick AU

3

He at first thought he was the luckiest guy in the world. They were on their fourth or fifth trip, this time without Ginny. He had spotted the deep black hair and beige clothing walking out of the shop in the city square.

It had been almost two months since he had last saw Peter, and Patrick was itching to jump out the door to see his new friend.

Duke was carrying on the one-way conversation about class representation in Europe, and Patrick couldn't care less about it. He streamed different excuses through his mind until he finally came up with a plausible one.

"Duke!" He accidentally shouted, getting too excited. The tutor stopped talking and looked with concern at Patrick. "I must use the restroom. May we stop?"

"Patrick, you do not want to use these lower quality outhouses. Let us take you back to the castle and-"

"No!" Patrick realized his urgency was going to sound suspicious, but he was running out of time. The figure was getting smaller and smaller as it walked forward, away from the carriage. "I need to go now."

Duke sighed, but he called for the carriage to stop at the nearest outhouse and Patrick jumped out the side door. He weaved in between people, pulling his hat down further and ignoring Duke's distant calls to slow down.

Patrick saw Peter a few feet away and he rushed forward to grab his arm and yank him behind the outhouse. Out of breath, Patrick studied the other man's face to find it painted with terror until he recognized Patrick.

"You scared me half to death!" He exclaimed, a smile beginning to form. Patrick apologized and kept a hold on the tan bicep.

"I have been looking for you for a long time," he managed out through his quick inhales and exhales. "I would like a proper meeting with you."

Peter's face scrunched slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"An actual time to talk, not just quick times, such as this."

"I'm not sure how we could manage that." Pete looked incredibly skeptical, yet hopeful at the same time. Patrick opened his mouth to come up with a smart response, but his name being shouted by Duke cut him off and forced him to a different decision.

"Umm, okay. On Thursday when the citizens are invited to come on to the castle lawn and hear the announcement we will make, come early. Get a spot in the front." Duke's call was getting louder. "When I nod at you, go to leave, but crawl through the small hole you will see in the burgundy bushes that are away from the guards. Go all the way to the back corner of the castle it leads to and wait for me."

Pete nodded with wide eyes and Patrick took off from behind the outhouse, just in time to run into Duke around the corner of the market.

"Oh! Apologies, Duke. I was just now coming out."

The tutor nodded, and led Patrick back to the carriage to continue with the lesson.

-

Ginny was in the common room, reading on one of the large, velvet couches when Patrick returned. A maid was dusting the tables and bookshelves around her, and Ginny called for her to refill her drink. Patrick rolled his eyes. He ran up the stairs and closed himself in his room, his usual routine.

-

Dressed in their best, the Stumph family made their way through the castle to reach the tall balcony that faced the front property. The sounds of the crowd could be heard through the thick stone.

After the four of them stepped out and made their initial appearance, Patrick's father used his booming voice to recite his speech about the current events he memorized earlier that day.