Hell's Reign (Patrick Stump/Fall Out Boy Fanfiction)

Chapter 22 - Now or Never

A/N: This chapter does contain smut, but I have labeled the beginning and end of it for you, as always, if you wish to skip over it. Enjoy!

When Tori woke the next morning, Patrick was once again not in bed. With an annoyed sigh, she threw the blankets off of her and padded barefoot into the bathroom. Her hair was looking frizzy again, but she didn't want to use up all of their shampoo too quickly, so instead, she found a rubber band in the bedroom and tied her hair up with that. She looked herself over in the mirror and decided that she looked halfway decent, then walked out to the living room. He wasn't in there, but she could hear someone in the kitchen, and the doors to the guest bedrooms were still closed.

As Tori rounded the corner to the kitchen, the sight that befell her nearly left her in tears of laughter. Patrick was holding a cereal bowl against his stomach with the bend of his elbow, attempting to shake a box of Cheerio's into the bowl without it slipping all over the place, since he couldn't hold it still with a hand. He was failing horribly, spilling cereal all over the kitchen table, and cursing to himself as he carefully brushed it back into his bowl. When he finally finished, he slammed the bowl down on the table and sat down to eat it, suddenly noticing his girlfriend giggling quietly to herself in the doorway.

"It's not funny," he stated, picking up his spoon and shoveling the dry cereal into his mouth. His arm was resting on the table beside his bowl, the gauze Andy had put on last night still looking reasonably clean. He had washed the blood splatter from his face and forearm, the burns there from the stove still standing out, bright red on his skin.

"I'm sorry," Tori giggled, coming to gently move Patrick's bandaged arm around her so she could sit on his lap. "I don't mean to laugh, it's just...."

"I looked ridiculous?" He finished, struggling to get more cereal on his spoon as his bowl slid on the table. "Trust me, I know."

Tori watched him carefully as he shoved another spoonful in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he stared down at his bowl. His arm pressed against her back, making her lean against his side. "I think you still look very handsome, Patrick," she mumbled, reaching up to brush his hair away from his face. He was in desperate need of a haircut; They all were. And she wasn't sure why she said it, other than the fact that she meant it, but the way he looked up at her told her that he needed to hear that. "I mean it," she told him, "You're still very attractive without the hand."

Patrick smirked a bit, finding humor in that statement, and Tori smiled back at him. "Thanks, Tori," he sighed, still gazing at her. She smirked again and leaned down, pressing their lips together. Patrick reached his hand up to the back of her neck, pulling her to him, and his other arm rested against her lower back. She clutched at his shirt, then smoothed her hands over his chest slowly. Patrick hummed softly in appreciation, breaking the kiss with a soft groan and biting his bottom lip. "It was worth it," he whispered.

"What?" She asked, slightly dazed by the kiss. He had that effect on her every time he kissed her, and she honestly wasn't too sure how to handle it.

"Losing my hand," Patrick clarified, "It was worth it to save you."

Tori smiled sadly, rubbing her hand up and down his bicep, as if to apologize. "I keep telling you I can handle myself," she mumbled, feeling guilty.

"And I keep telling you I don't care," Patrick replied, grinning. "It's fine, Tori. I'm fine."

Tori hesitated, looking carefully into his bluish-green eyes. "You scared me."