FicWad

Patrick's POV

I squeak and quickly move away from Pete, blushing deeper by the second. My mom looks from me, to Pete, then back.

“Patrick? Who’s this?” my mom looks to Pete again.

Pete stands slowly and walks over to her, “I’m Pete, I’m new at Patrick’s school, and gave him a ride home.”

“A ride home...” she looks at the clock, “At least an hour too early.”

Pete nods, “I’m sorry about that, this kid attacked us and-”

“Josh, again?” my mom walks over to me and frowns.

I nod, “Y-Yeah..”

She sighs, “I got a call about you getting to school late and leaving early... Patrick your attendance is going to get low-”

“I could have stayed and faced an entire school calling me gay.” I mumble.

“Gay?” she frowns, “He started a rumor about you being gay?” she sighs, “This is awful... everyone thinks you’re gay.”

“It’s awful, because now people think your son’s gay.” I look up to her, anger bubbling in my chest, “You’ve already got a wimpy kid that everyone hates, but that you could look over. But gay? How shameful.”

“What does that mean?” she crosses her arms.

“It means, I’m gay. And you know what else? My fat ass broke your chair too!” I raise my voice.


Pete's POV

"Excuse me?" Patrick's mom says shrilly.

"You heard me, mom. I'm gay and I broke your chair. Any other questions?"

I stare at Patrick, eyes wide. I'm not sure what I just heard was real. He looks at me, biting his lip. It was definitely real and he's regretting what he said. I nod at him ever-so-slightly and he turns back to his mother.

"Patrick Martin Stumph, what on earth is going through your mind right now?"

"What's going on in my mind? The fact that I can't stand having a homophobic mother who cares only about herself. So worried-" I put my hand on his shoulder and start to pull his arm back, trying to get him to keep quiet. He's walking on dangerously thin ice. But instead of calming down, he shrugs my hand off and keeps going.

"-So worried about her image that she can't possibly be anything else than disgusted by her fat, gay son. How's it feel, mom? Are you proud of yourself? Because I'm not."

Silence.

Not a word is said for over a minute. Patrick stands there, breathing heavily. His mom stares at him with rage that's making her face redder by the second.

"Out."

"Wh-what?" Patrick whimpers.

"I said out. Now. No son of mine is going to talk to me like that and get away with it. I don't care where you go, but for at least a few days, I don't want to see your face."

Patrick freezes, staring at the floor with wide eyes. I decide it's time for me to help, so I take his hand and help him walk to the door. We leave without a word and I go with him to my car.

"Patrick, wait here. Sit in the car, and I'll be right back. I'm gonna grab a few days' worth of clothes for you. You're staying with me."


Patrick's POV

I sit in Pete’s car, practically hyperventilating. What the hell was I thinking? Why did I tell her I was gay, and why did I tell her about the chair? I didn’t break the chair. But truth be told I’ve wanted to set it on fire since the day she told me why she doesn’t want me sitting on it. I shake as I stare at the door, waiting for Pete. How does he know his parents will even let me stay? I pull my hair and shake even more.

“Stupid. Stupid. STUPID!” I begin punching the sides of my head.

Why couldn’t I just shut up and take her shit like always? Why did I feel the need to give my opinion? No one gives a shit what I think. Pete walks out, carrying a bag of mine, full of clothes. When he notices my hitting myself he runs to the car, opening the passenger door and dropping the bag, grabbing my arms.

“Patrick.”

I struggle, trying to pull away from him, continuing to hit myself.

“PATRICK!”

I jump and freeze in shock, slowly lowering my arms, “I-I..”

“It’s okay...” Pete gently rubs my head, “It’s okay...”

“N-No it’s not I-I..I-I just..”

“Shh.. it’s okay. Alright? You’re okay. Your mom’s pissed, but she’ll get over it. Until then, you can come stay with me.”

“B-But your parents-”

“Won’t care. I promise, they’ll be glad I’ve found a friend. Just try to calm down, okay?”

I nod as he puts the bag in the back seat and gets in the car, pulling out of the driveway. I look back to see my mom standing at the door, glaring with her arms crossed. I sink down in my seat with a whimper.


Pete's POV

We drive in silence and I glance over at him every few minutes. He's stopped hitting himself on the head, but I'm still really worried. I think he can tell, he keeps looking at my hands. I take my eyes off the road for a second and realize that I'm clutching the steering wheel very tightly. I relax my grip a bit and take a deep breath.

"P-Pete?" Patrick murmurs almost inaudibly.

"Don't. If you're about to apologize, save it. There's nothing to be sorry about. You did the right thing."

"The right thing? I g-got kicked out!"

"Patrick, I'm not gonna argue this with you. What you did was incredibly brave. And not to mention chivalrous, taking the blame for me. I owe you for that. But seriously, if you let this eat at you, it's just gonna fuck you up."

"B-But..."

"Nope. Not hearing it." I shake my head stubbornly.

"P-Pete?"

"Yes, Patrick?"

"Thank you."

I nod, and we're silent once again. It's not long before we reach my house. I pull into my driveway and park the car. Patrick unbuckles his seat belt nervously and turns to me. I look back at him and smile reassuringly. He bites his lip and gets out of the car. I turn the car off and get out as well, pausing to grab his bag from the back seat. I lock up and rub his shoulder a moment before leading him up the walkway and into the house.


‎Patrick’s POV

I bite my lip and follow Pete inside, staring down at my feet. I feel very rude, showing up at his parent’s house unexpected. He doesn’t seem to think they’ll mind. Maybe it’s just my mom who needs a week’s notice before friends come over. Not that I have friends come over, ever except this afternoon. I look up and notice we’re in the living room where his parents are looking up at us.

“Who’s your friend, Pete?” his mother smiles warmly.

“This is Patrick.” he rubs my shoulder once more, “He needs to crash here a few days, if that’s okay.”

His father nods, “That’s fine.”

“I don’t mean to be nosy...” his mother looks up to me, “But is everything okay?”

“I-I..” I look down, fidgeting nervously.

“He um, he and his mother had a bit of a disagreement...” he looks to me as well, “Do you mind if I tell them? They won’t be mean, they know about me.”

I bite my lip, “Y-Yeah, yo-you can.”

“He told his mom he’s gay and, well... that didn’t set well with her.”

His mom frowns, “I’m sorry about that, Patrick. She’ll come around.”

I nod, biting my lip harder.

“We’ll be in my room.” Pete takes my arm and leads me down the hall.

I begin shaking again as we walk into Pete’s bedroom. I can’t believe my mom told me to leave. And what if a few days isn’t enough for her? I can’t stay here forever. I’m not Pete’s problem, or his parents’.

“Patrick..” Pete frowns, “Look, you’re not inconveniencing anyone, okay?”

“P-Pete I... sh-she’s so ma-mad.. what if a few days isn’t e-enough for her? Wh-What if she decides to kick me out p-permanently?” I whimper, “I-I’m so stupid.”

“None of that.” he hugs me tight, “You, are far from stupid. You told her you were gay, and honesty is always best. If she didn’t like it, that’s her issue to deal with. And, she won’t kick you out forever.”

“H-How do you kn-know?” I shake more, “Sh-She ha-hates me! She’s always hated me! A-And now?” my eyes water, “N-Now she knows I’m gay. Sh-She’s so against gays, Pete... Sh-She’s always to-told me being g-gay is si-sick and wro-wrong a-and..” I choke back a sob, “A-And now she h-hates me more.” I look up to Pete helplessly, “I-I’m scared. I-I don’t w-want to g-go live with my da-dad. H-He’s worse. H-He drinks a-and he... he gets m-mean...”

“Mean how?” Pete frowns.

“H-He... He u-used to hit m-my mom..a-and me...s-so we left. B-But she...she regrets taking me. Sh-She’s said be-before she wished I-I stayed with hi-him.”

Pete’s eyes widen in shock.


Pete's POV

Patrick nods, crying freely now. I watch him, afraid to move. His legs collapse after a moment and I help him sit on the edge of my bed.

"Patrick, it's gonna be okay. Try not to think about your parents right now. That's the worst thing you can do. You need to just try to relax. I know that's hard to do, but you'll have a full-on panic attack if you don't. So breathe, okay?"

He buries his face in my shoulder and I hug him reassuringly as he cries. It's a few minutes before he straightens up, wiping his eyes. I grin at him and nudge his shoulder. He smiles slightly and calms down a bit. I reach over to my bedside table and grab a box of tissues, handing it to him. He wipes his eyes, smiling a bit more.

"Alright, so my bathroom's right through that door and my couch folds out," I tell him, pointing to each.

"I c-can't believe you have a couch in your room. You're so l-lucky," Patrick says quietly, his voice raw.

I shrug. "It's no big deal just a little couch. But yeah, it folds out. You take my bed, I got the couch." Patrick opens his mouth to protest. "Nope. Not hearing it. You get the bed, Patrick."

He nods and goes into the bathroom, closing the door. He comes out a few minutes later, and his face is less splotchy. His cuts are cleaned up and he looks like less of a mess.

"I hope you don't mind, but I used some of your Neosporin and stuff."

"Not at all, I was actually gonna ask you if you want to do that. I was worried your face would get infected. And I hope your nose isn't broken..."

"No, it's all good," Patrick replies. He goes over to my bed again and sits down next to me. I crawl up to the head of the bed and lean against the headboard, motioning for him to do the same. He joins me and puts his arms behind his head.

"TV?" I ask simply. Patrick nods and I grab the remote. I spend a little time flipping through channels before he turns to me.

"Pete?"

"Hm?" I ask, settling on South Park.

"You have the most amazing parents. So understanding. How did they take it when you came out?"

I mute the TV and look at him, biting my lip out of habit. "Well, when I met Ryan, I knew that I liked him a lot. And that I wanted to be his boyfriend. I knew I wasn't going to want to hide that from my parents. You shouldn't be ashamed of the guy you're with, so much as to hide him. So I decided to come out. I went to my mom first, and I told her I liked someone. She asked me who the lucky girl is and I told her his name is Ryan. She kinda just stared at me for a moment then nodded slowly."

"Did she say anything?"

"She told a mother knows and that she's surprised it took me that long to come out."

"Wow."

"Yeah. And my dad, he was just as understanding. He was a bit confused at first, because he was certain I'd had a girlfriend in middle school. I told him that was the teacher, she's just short. It was a bit embarrassing. But yeah, he got it. They were great about it."

Patrick smiles. "You have an awesome family. W-Wish mine were like that too."

I nod and turn back to the TV, taking it off mute. We watch TV all night, mostly silently. Later that night, we eat dinner as a family and Patrick gets a chance to properly come out to someone. My parents applaud him and I join in, grinning widely. I'm not gonna forget that blush anytime soon.

"Pete?" Patrick turns to me, crawling into my bed.

"Yeah, Patrick?" I ask, sitting on the couch in my pajamas.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," I reply, turning off the light. "And tomorrow? Our plan begins."