Fireflies // Peterick

7.

If you guys like this book, please don't be afraid to give it hype!

Monday morning, Pete walked into his room to see Patrick already awake. He was sitting on his bed and staring out the window. He still had bed head, was in his pajamas, and his blanket pooled around his hips. He was holding his phone in his lap.

"Holy shit you're already awake," Pete said, rubbing his wet hair with his towel. "It's not even noon yet!"

Patrick glanced at him but said nothing.

Pete frowned. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Patrick sighed and looked down at his hands. "I don't want to talk about it."

Pete stared at him. Then he nodded and hung his towel up. He grabbed his comb. "I'm going to go to breakfast, but if you need a few minutes, it's cool if you want to go later."

"No, I'm coming." Patrick pulled his blanket off and hopped off his bed. He picked out his clothes and left the room. He reentered just as Pete finished fixing his hair. Pete watched him carefully. His every movement was tense, and he almost tripped over nothing.

"Hey, you know you can talk to me, right?" Pete said gently.

Patrick didn't look at him as he sat down to put on his shoes. "There's nothing to talk about."

Pete took a deep breath and tried not to call bullshit. "But if there was..."

"Let's just go to breakfast, okay?" Patrick smiled weakly.

Patrick was quiet all through breakfast. Andy and Joe noticed it, and tried asking him what was wrong, but Patrick brushed them off as well. He picked at his food. While walking to the meeting area on campus, Andy and Joe grabbed Pete and asked him what was wrong with Patrick. He felt bad having to tell them he didn't know.

"Hey, you okay Pete?" Tyler asked once they sat down for class.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Pete said with a shrug.

Gerard cocked his head. "Are you sure? You seem real down."

Pete tapped his pencil on the table a few times. "It's Patrick...he's been acting weird all morning, but he won't talk about it and I don't want to push."

"Yikes," Gerard said.

Tyler hummed. "Give him some space. If he wants to talk, he will."

"I figured, it just sucks. He barely ate or talked this morning. I'm worried," Pete said softly.

Gerard smiled at him. "Not to belittle you or your roommate, but your concern is adorable."

Pete laughed. "Fuck off."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, can I talk to you really quick?" Patrick asked Pete after lunch. He'd eaten more than he had at breakfast, but as far as Pete could tell he'd still been quiet.

"Yeah, of course," Pete said, leading the way to their usual spot.

They sat down. Pete waited for Patrick to start talking. Patrick was staring at his shoes. "I talked to Dallon this morning before class," he began.

"Yeah?"

Patrick looked at him with wide eyes. "He said I should tell you, because you're my roommate and I shouldn't shut you out." Pete nodded for him to continue. Patrick took a deep breath. "I got a call from my brother this morning."

Pete's eyes narrowed. "Kevin?"

Patrick nodded. "Apparently the only reason he hadn't called to check in earlier was because our dad grounded him." His tone became softer, and he added, "Because he brought me to camp."

"What? Why would he-"

"Because he's a dick, that's why," Patrick said bitterly. He sighed. "That's why I was acting the way I was this morning. I felt guilty about Kevin getting in trouble over something he did for me. I told Dallon about it, and he suggested I tell you. So I could get it off my chest. Besides, I guess I kind of owed you an explanation."

Pete shook his head. "It's fine. We all have off days. And considering the circumstances..."

Patrick shrugged. "I guess."

Pete put a hand on his shoulder. "You know I'm not upset, right? I was just worried about you this morning."

Patrick's eyes widened. "Really? I was basically giving you guys the silent treatment."

"Of course not! Something was obviously up, we- well, I, just didn't want to push you."

"Oh." Patrick paused. "Thank you."

"No problem," Pete said with a small smile. "Like I said this morning, I'm here if you want to talk."

The smile Patrick gave him in response was small, but it was genuine, and his eyes lit up a bit. Pete's heart swelled at the sight.

In class that afternoon, Tyler and Gerard poked fun at him for writing prose about that smile.