FicWad

It was three days later on Wednesday afternoon that Molly walked into the radio station to see Patrick and Elyse standing in the middle of the office bickering with Matt sitting on the couch laughing at them. Since she had never seen either of the two friends raise their voices at each other in the almost two months she had known them Molly was more then a little shocked. Matt just waved her questioning look off as though to say not to worry about it. But she did worry, Patrick and Elyse were behaving far too much like her parents for Molly to be completely comfortable with this situation. It needed to be stopped. Finally realizing that the argument had completely disintegrated from the original topic when she heard Patrick accuse Elyse of stealing his red crayon in the third grade she decided to interject.
"guys..." she began softly, tapping her foot on the floor with her arms crossed attempting to look somewhat threatening, "...GUYS!" Molly finally shouted and was rewarded with two heads snapping around to notice her standing there.
"Hey Mol" Matt waved from the couch.
"So children, is there something you would like to talk about?" Molly asked in what has been termed her "teacher voice", "Like, oh say, why you two were about to rip your throats out?"
"Principal Wallace wants us to advertise the spring dance and Elyse is refusing to record the file for the new news cart." Patrick said at the same time that Elyse said, "Principal Wallace knows we have deadlines for our weekly recordings. Everything has to be to me by Friday at noon to be put on the following weeks carts."
"Ok....well Elyse Patrick kind of has a point. Its the principal we're talking about here. Not some student club."
"Yes. but this means that I have to take time out of my day to record a new file. And its a badly written ad."
"Ok...Patrick, Elyse has a point..."
"No. Molly seriously don't get involved in this. I'm sorry but this really doesn't concern you. And before you freak out on me this isn't me telling you as Patrick your friend, this is me telling you as Patrick the Station Manager who lets you hang out in here even though I'm not technically allowed to. And Elyse this is me telling you as your boss to record the god damned cart."
Elyse just glared at him before grabbing it out of his hand and stalking off into the booth to at least do something with it. Patrick just took his hat off his head ran his hands through his hair and over his face before grabbing a stack of papers off his desk and stomping past Molly and out of the station.
"Whoa...what was that about?" Molly asked Matt as he just continued to eat his lunch and flip through a magazine.
"The Spring Fling, duh."
"Ok so pretend that you guys haven't decided I didn't just move here and maybe explain k thanks."
"..oh right. You wouldn't know would you?"
"'cause I'm not asking or anything."
"Alright, this is not something you ever EVER want to bring up around Patrick but I'll tell you so you don't inadvertantly bring something up. Patrick used to have this girlfriend named Allison. She went to Glenbrook North. And our Spring Flings are big dances that are held together with both schools at the community college gym. Which you know...but anyway my point is that last year at this dance Patrick was hanging out with Pete, 'cause the fucker snuck into a highschool dance, and after about an hour realizes he hasn't seen Allison anywhere. So he and Pete start looking for her and Pete found her.
"uhh...wait, who's Pete is that important?"
"mediocre bass player in Patrick's band. Not really all that important just that he's the one that found the bitch."
"Oh..right. I thought his name was Paul or something. So what was she doing?"
"Screwing two guys in the boys locker room."
"WHAT?!"
"yea...so needless to say Patrick isn't a big fan of the Spring Fling in general. So I wouldn't ask him if he has a date or anything. I doubt he'll even go this year."
When Matt finished Elyse stalked out of the studio and over to the desk to log the new cart.
"So what are you two gossiping about?" She asked after flopping down on the couch.
"The dance and what we're gonna wear." Matt said in girly voice.
"Yea, Matt is seriously considering purple sequins." Molly stated.
"Nah, blue is better for his skin tone." was quickly countered by the blonde with Matt sitting there suddenly looking panicked.
The following Saturday Molly was sitting around her room trying to think of something to do when her cell phone rang this time proclaiming "The StumphMeister" was calling.
"I really need to stop letting Matt play with my phone."
"What does it say now?"
"you are The Stumpmeister. He is The Father of My Children. and Elyse is Hell's Angel."
"well...at least he's consistant with his own nomenclature."
"oooo...nice word usage."
"Thanks, word a day dictionary. Uhh...as much as I love our witty banter I'm running late so I'm gonna get right to the point. First off you wanna go to dinner with me?"
"You mean..like out to a public place together? Patrick..umm.."
"This isn't a date. I didn't mean that. I'm going out to dinner with my bandmates and I want you to meet them. Elyse and Matt know them and I want you to as well."
"Oh! Yea sure that sounds great, what time?"
"I'm outside."
"Oh...give me five minutes."
"Ok, bye." The boy finished with before hanging up.
I swear to all this is holy Patrick Martin Stumph you are getting weirder and weirder the more I know you. 'I'm outside' he says. What if I was naked?! Molly ranted to herself as she ran around her room running a brush through her hair and slipping on a pair of checkerboard Vans.
Running down the stairs and into the front hallway Molly screamed to her parents that she was going out and ran out the front door and jumped into Patrick's 1996 Camry.
"I think I like your dad's BMW better."
"You say that whenver I drive this."
"Hey, just stating a fact."
"Ok...so witty banter, check. Picked up non-girlfriend, check. Cruising to see the boys, check. Wanna go to the dance with me?"
"...whatdahuh?" Molly replied feeling a funny flutter in her chest at the question.
"Do you want to go to the Spring Fling with me? I need a date and I don't feel like getting a real one so I figured I'd ask you." Patrick answered her gibberish question as he pulled into traffic to head into town.
"Oh...yea. Sound's good. I didn't really have anything else to do anyway. How fancy is this damn thing?" Molly responded with a forced smile.
"It's not as hardcore dress up as Winter Ball or Senior Prom. But no where near as casual as Homecoming or Fall Blast."
"Ok...do you have something to tell me. Do you really want to be asking Matt?"
"Ha. Very funny. I've been friends with Elyse since I was six. I've picked up on the little nuances of dressing for these events."
"Oh...Ok then. I'll take that as advice to just ask Elyse."
"Yes please. Ok here we are. Now take a second to prepare yourself. They can be a handful."
"Can I just stay here? Seriously, just crack a window and I'll be fine. Woof."
"Molly, just get out of the car. They don't bite...ok let me ammend that. Andy doesn't bite. Joe won't unless asked. Pete's the one we're trying to people train."
"Sounds like he's a gem and a half."
"I think you'll like him."
Molly and Patrick both got out of the car and approached a building with the word Diner running down its side. The place was so stereotypically greasy spoon that it should have been in the dictionary under 'places with good food that you wouldn't necessarily want to touch'. Sitting in a back corner booth were three guys. They all glanced up when the bells over the door rang and waved at Patrick. However, as Molly stepped in from behind Patrick the darkest one let out a rip roaring wolf whistle that set Molly's nerves on edge.
"oh god please no Pete don't do it." Molly thought she heard Patrick mumble to himself as the two approached the table the guys were at. Before Patrick could make introductions the one that Molly know figured to be Pete jumped up and fell to his knees in front of Molly before proclaiming
"Hello gorgeous. You, Me, a bottle of the finest red wine and a queen sized bed, how does that sound?"
"Like you've already drank three of those bottles and are having alcohol induced hallucinations. Has the room started spinning yet?" She shot back at him before sliding in next to the polite looking red head who had rolled his eyes at Pete and then laughed at what Molly had said.
"Hi, I'm Molly. I'm Patrick's non-girlfriend."
"I'm Andy, the drummer."
"oh, so you bang things for a living huh?" Her response caused the third boy to almost choke on his water, Patrick to turn bright red, and Pete to just look even more interested.
"The one trying to remember how to breath is Joe, our lead guitarist. And the idiot still kneeling on the floor is Pete, our bassist and lyricist."
"He writes your lyrics? No wonder Patrick won't let me hear anything." gah, that was cruel even for you self. Molly thought in response to her verbal response.
"HEY!" Pete responded as he got up and slid back into his seat, "You've never heard my lyrics so don't judge them based on nothing."
"How about I judge them based on your sexist remarks and the fact that even propositioning me would get you thrown into jail."
"God Patrick where the fuck did you find this one? What crawled up your ass and died sweethart?" Pete's snidely asked question caused Patrick to suddenly look like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.
"Pete!" Joe hissed at the older man having caught the expressions of mortification on Patrick's face and fury on Molly's.
"Why you little self absorbed prick. I have a right to be insulted, I walk in the door and you whistle at me, and then proposition me before you even know who I am and you're going to act like by turning you down I did some grand injustice? How can you possibly be that full of yourself?"
'How could Patrick think I would like this person?!'
"Hey...when its a fact its a fact."
"Pete. Shut. Up." Patrick ground out. "We are here to have dinner. I guess I was wrong that you two would get along. Let's eat and then we can all go our seperate ways for the evening."
"Sound's good to me Patrick." Molly said politely. "I'm sorry I said what I said while we we're here. It was wrong to embarrass you." Molly smiled at all of them before adding, "Not that I didn't mean every damned word of it."
The five young adults had dinner and made conversation. It was decided over the course of dinner that the post-dance hangout would take place in the very booth they were currently sitting in and that the guys would meet them there. Andy invited Molly to come to practice one of these days so should could hear their music. Joe and Molly debated, of all things, comic books. Pete mostly fumed over being blown off by any female. And Patrick just sat quietly and observed Molly. The beautiful brunette laughed with her whole body, except her eyes. That was something he had been noticing lately, her eyes were always so dull. As though someone had put the light out in them years ago. That night while watching Molly Patrick promised himself he would figure out why.

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A/N: The title is from "The Boys are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy.
I might not be able to update as much as I was originally planning this week 'cause my great uncle died so I have a wake and funeral to go to. I'll try and get two or three up tomorrow to make up for it.