The Melting Pot Complex

Chapter Seventy-Four ~ Patton

{Possible trigger warnings: none I can see but

If I miss something, I apologize and please let me know}

"So are you excited?" Patton turned to Remy as they walked out of his apartment. 

"Equal parts excited and apprehensive." Remy shrugged. "I haven't talked to a lot of my friends from high school in a while, and I definitely look very different."

"And you're showing up with a guy that nobody knows." Patton grinned.

Remy kissed his temple. "I'm always excited to show you off, Spotlight."

He giggled and leaned against Remy as they stepped into the elevator.

"Really, I'm interested to see how everyone else has changed. I wouldn't mind sneaking along the outskirts for most of the night, if I can, just people-watching."

"That sounds like fun! You can point people out to me and tell them what funny memories you have of them, or stories about the school." Patton gasped. "Or maybe if there are teachers you got along with that are there, I could meet them."

Remy nodded and took his hand, walking out of the elevator and out of the apartment complex. "I wanted to ride out, since it's nice tonight. You okay with that?"

Patton smiled at him and shrugged. "I don't mind, as long as you have an extra helmet."

"Of course I do. And an extra protective jacket, it'll be all good."

They stepped into the garage and Remy went over to the wall where there were a few helmets and two jackets hanging on the wall. "Take your pick, babe. I don't mind using any of them."

Patton looked up at the wall and grabbed the smaller of the two jackets, then the black helmet with a blue hibiscus flower on the back. "I like this one."

"Suits you." Remy nodded and grabbed one of the other helmets, pulling the other jacket on. "You ever been on a motorcycle?"

"My uncle used to have one, but it's been at least ten years since I rode." Patton shrugged. "I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable driving."

"Fair enough. Good thing you don't have to, huh?"

"Good thing." Patton laughed and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle once Remy got on. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist and leaned against his back as Remy punched the button that opened the garage. The bike revved to life under the two of them and they eased out into the parking lot, then to the street.

"Hold on tight, baby!" Remy called over his shoulder, then punched the gas. They shot forward and Patton grabbed onto Remy tighter.

The drive was only about twenty minutes long, and the parking lot of the high school was half full. Remy picked a spot and shut the engine down, pushing out his kickstand with his foot.

"That was fun!" Patton hopped off the bike, pulling his helmet off and running a hand through his hair. "I like it. It's nice to be kind of the same size as the person driving, I could never see over my uncle's shoulder."

Remy laughed and pulled his helmet off, tucking it under his arm. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. How do I look?"

"Handsome as always. Your hair's a little messy though, come here."

Remy leaned down a bit and Patton ran his fingers through the strands, fixing it back into the style he usually wore it in. "Did you freshly dye it for tonight?"

"Yep. Did it yesterday." 

"Looks good." Patton smiled and kissed him quickly. "Are we leaving these out here?"

"I usually leave them wherever I leave my jacket." Remy offered his hand, keeping his helmet under his other arm. Patton hooked his fingers around the chin piece of his helmet and took Remy's hand.

They walked up to the front door and Remy scanned the table that had been set up with all the name tags. He snagged his and held it up to his forehead. "Should I stick it up here, Spotlight?"

Patton giggled and shook his head. "Maybe just on the shoulder. It's a little less distracting."

"Good point, this is pretty distracting on its own." Remy nodded and gestured to his hair.

"It really is." The woman standing at the table smiled. "You're Macchinetta, right?" 

"That's me, yeah. I was a chunker in high school, so the pictures don't really match up." Remy glanced at her shoulder for a moment, looking for a nametag. "Sorry, and you are...?"

"I wasn't in your class." The woman shook her head, chuckling. "My name's Marra, I'm the special events coordinator for the school. I heard some of the others talking about seeing you tonight, and gathered that the man with the purple hair and the other man with the blue hair were probably connected to that discussion."

Patton giggled and squeezed Remy's hand. "Making a great impression as always, babe."

"I wouldn't say that yet." Remy snorted, shaking his head. "Is everyone in the gym then, Marra?"

She nodded. "They are. Have fun."

Remy tugged Patton around the corner and they began to walk down the hallway. "This classroom had a teacher who always kept snacks if people needed them. That one was always weirdly cold and one of the guys the grade above me swore up and down that he saw a ghost once. This classroom was the one we all hated going into, no one taught in it so they'd use it for discipline."

"Discipline?" Patton asked, frowning. "What kind?"

"Clapping chalk dust out of erasers and stuff like that." Remy shrugged. 

"That doesn't sound very fun."

"It wasn't." He squeezed Patton's hand and paused as they walked past a board that had a bunch of old high school pictures. "Oh look, there I am."

Patton gasped and peered at the little photo. "Oh you were so cuuuute!"

"I was fat as hell."

"That's okay, you were cute!" He kissed Remy's cheek. "Cutie patootie, like always."

Remy laughed and tugged him onward. "Let's go see what chaos my classmates have already started."

There was music playing in the gym, and through the wide open doors Patton and Remy could see people mingling and talking. 

"You ready for this?" Patton asked him quietly. Remy took a deep breath. 

"Uh... yeah."

"Then lets get going." He grinned and pulled Remy forward.