All Was Golden

SEVEN

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Pete arrived with the food. Ryan quietly thanked him when he was passed his meal. He then got up and left the room.

"What's up with him?." Pete asked as Ryan rounded the corner.

Patrick sighed. "Same thing that's been up with him." He frowned, looking off to the side. He wanted so desperately to be there for Ryan. Ryan was one of his closest friends and he hated to see him hurt, but he only seemed to want to push everyone away...

Fingers curled around Patrick's chin, turning his head so he faced Pete. "Hey, are you okay? Did you guys fight?"

Patrick bought his hand to hold Pete's as he slid it from his chin to his cheek. "Not exactly." He sighed again, "But I mentioned him."

Pete's eyes widened. "By name?"

"No." Patrick shook his head, "Ryan has to be the first one to do that. I don't want to push him."

"Hard to push him when he won't even get close." Pete frowned.

Patrick nodded before turning his head to kiss the inside of Pete's wrist. "Yeah..."

They sat together like that for a moment longer before getting their own food from the bags. Pete turned on the TV to find something to watch while Patrick nibbled at his order.

Patrick knew he had crossed that invisible line when he mentioned that He wasn't the only one that cared about Ryan. The hurt Ryan felt after what first happened never went away. Ryan seemed to just soak in it. There were days where he was better, but those were becoming more and more spaced out. He had seemed to be on an upward climb, but it had left him in a state of plummeting back down.

"You're letting it get to you again." Pete said before biting into his burrito.

"Stop reading my mind." Patrick pouted. "How can I not?"

Pete finished chewing another bite of burrito before responding. "You care, which is why I love you, but you can care to the point you stop caring about yourself."

"I care about myself." Patrick argued.

Pete turned to him. "Are you going to finish your food or only eat a few bites because your stomach is upset from worrying?" He asked. When Patrick looked down, Pete's expression softened. "I don't say it to sound mean. You've only really nibbled at food the past few days. Ryan isn't the only one that needs reminding to eat." He leaned to kiss Patrick's cheek.

Patrick set his food back down on its wrapper. "I'll try again later." He smiled at Pete, though he knew it didn't reach his eyes. "I appreciate that you care."

"Always." Pete smiled back. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Patrick wrapped his food back up while Pete finished his. Once Pete was done eating, Patrick laid across the couch with his head on Pete's lap. He outstretched his arms around Pete's waist while Pete draped and arm on Patrick's shoulder and played with his hair.

The only sound that hung in the air was the low hum of the TV and their soft breathing. Eventually, Patrick's blinks held his eyes closed longer and longer until they stayed closed.

When Patrick reopened his eyes, the movie that had been playing was long over. The TV screen flashed silent promo for other shows and movies available to stream. Patrick yawned. He waited a moment to listen for Pete's even breathing before retracting his arms from his waist and carefully pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked at Pete, stifling a laugh. Pete's head was rested on the back of the couch, with his face pointed at an angle towards the ceiling. He snored lightly.

Patrick wanted to press a kiss to his cheek, but he was afraid to wake him. He instead adjusted himself on the couch, letting his legs drop to the floor rather than rest at his side so he could stretch. He stopped, however, when his foot brushed against something cold and hard on the floor. His brow furrowed as he leaned forward to look down.

The key that Ryan had worn earlier looked back up at him with a sickening gold grin. Its red eyes almost looked as if they were glowing in the dull light of the room.

Patrick tilted his head at the key. Ryan must have forgotten to grab it before leaving the room. Had he really upset Ryan that much? Patrick could feel his stomach twist with guilt.

He bent down to reach for the key. He wasn't sure what attracted Ryan to it, other than his suspension that it belonged to Him... Ryan didn't want to let Him go.

When Patrick's fingers brushed the key, he immediately shot upright with a jolt. His hand throbbed as if he had been shocked by electricity. He looked at his hand before looking back down at the key. Did it have faulty batteries or something?

He gulped, but tried again. This time his aim was to grab hold of the cord. He managed to do so without getting shocked. He lifted the key and held it at an arms length from his face as he rose from the couch. He should leave it on Ryan's doorknob. He didn't want to further upset him by trying to talk to him tonight.

The key spun on its cord as Patrick began to maneuver around the coffee table and across the living room. When the key's face turned upon him, however, he stopped in his tracks.

When the red eyes looked upon him, Patrick felt his eyes almost be forced to look back into them. He couldn't turn away as they held his gaze. Red seemed to pour out of the skull's small sockets. Whispers popped in and out of Patrick's hearing, urging him to do something he couldn't quite understand. He wanted to drop the key and look away, but his grip held firm.

His free hand rose as he continued to stare into the red. He wasn't even sure he controlled the limb as it reached for the key. It slowly grew closer, and the red intensified...

Patrick woke up exactly where he had woken up before. He blinded tiredly, unsure of what had just happened. Had he just been awake? Wasn't he halfway across the room?

Pete snored beside him, arm draped over his shoulder. He found comfort in that and shut his eyes. It had to have been a dream, it was already fading from his memory.

Patrick fell asleep once again, blissfully unaware of the new accessory that hung around his neck and hid under his shirt.