The Noble Desire (Peterick)

.•°Twelve.•°

A/N: oops. some smut fell out of my pocket.

There was a period of time in which Pete could remember feeling normal. He'd gone camping for a weekend with his family by their private beach. It was a rare occasion where they weren't away on business, and the memory had been so vivid Pete didn't fail to relive it even today. One could walk the coast for miles, and perhaps that was what he did. The enclosed beach was silent. The sun was a fireball that blinded him as it emerged, rising like a glowing medallion on the distant horizon.

Topaz sunbursts of light smashed against the calming blue of the ocean. Crashing against the shore, small waves washed the night's debris onto the land. Untouched golden sand covered the floor as far as his eyes could see. A soothing, gentle sea breeze rustled through his matted hair while the smell of the salty sea rushed through his nose as he breathed in fresh air.

The halo of the towering mountains colored the edges the beach, the cliffs rising up and riding in between orange crest clouds that blanketed the gentle blue sky. Pete had fallen in love with life in those two days where he had been small and unimportant and entirely like everyone else. Ever since then he had dreamed of going back and indulging in the nostalgia of his childhood, but he never got around to actually doing it. When Gerard had suggested he take Meagan out on a trip to celebrate their engagement Pete couldn't help but consider the royal's beach as an option.

After all, he had started to enjoy her company much more, and it could be of some value to their relationship to share with her the importance of such a location. Yet, as a result of spending his days with her he saw so little of everyone else. His fiancee seemed to make time fly quickly with her spontaneous personality that swallowed up every second and immersed him in sleepless nights and unwinding afternoons filled with laughter and banter that lasted until their throats grew dry. Pete didn't understand, though, why he could not love her when she was such a perfect addition to his life. Her presence was merely appreciated from a friendship standpoint, and even when he tried his hardest to push his mind away from that perspective he couldn't look at her the way his father looked at his mother.

It simply wasn't possible no matter how much he wanted it to be. Gerard had made the arrangements and freed up Pete's schedule for the weekend trip. As an act of thankfulness, Pete suggested Gerard bring a friend along. To his surprise, though, his guest happened to be Frank, which turned out to be rather convenient in the end since his parents thought him to be the only trustworthy person to drive them. Patrick had to come along no question, but Pete didn't know if his bodyguard would enjoy it much when they rarely ever spoke nowadays unless it was necessary.

He hated how distant they had become, hated how they could barely even look each other in the eye, but it had been his doing. Everything had gone too far, and there was no way to fix it without there being a trail of hurt left behind.  Somebody was bound to suffer with the lack of care that he embodied for everyone else's emotions whenever he did something. Perhaps that was his most notorious flaw- to not think of the consequences until after the deed was done. He'd asked Brendon and his girlfriend, Sarah, to join them, but when Brendon had arrived at the palace there was no counterpart in tow.

"She couldn't get time off of work," he had explained.
It was understandable. Sarah worked non-profit, and sometimes her duties bled into her free time. Pete admired that about her- how selfless and caring she could be, and she was beautiful too. He remembered the first time Brendon introduced her. His breath was taken away by her doll-like blue eyes that even the sky envied.

Strands of black framed her rosy cheeks and ended just around her golden smile. Pete would be lying if he said he didn't fall a little in love with her. Everyone usually did. She was just that type of girl. The gang of friends all piled into the SUV around mid-day and set out toward the private beach.