"I'm sorry," Is the first thing Joe hears when Patrick opens the door to his room. "I didn't mean to call you a.. you know,"

Joe just nods, an unlit cigarette dangling between his fingers. "It's fine, Patrick, I swear," And he lights the cigarette, taking a long drag.

He's going to get in trouble if he's not careful. There's no smoking allowed on campus, much less in his dorm room.

Patrick doesn't care. He takes the cigarette from Joe and takes his own drag. When he lets the puff of smoke go, it feels like all of his problems are going with it.

He's suddenly not worried about if he's actually bisexual. He's suddenly not hit with the feeling that he ruined his father's happiness. He doesn't give a shit about anything.

"I just really don't think I'm gay," Patrick says. Joe shrugs.

"Maybe not. Maybe you aren't gay. Maybe you're bisexual or pan, even, but you're definitely not straight," Joe says, patting him on the back.

Patrick clenches his jaw to keep from offending Joe. The latter certainly wouldn't want to be his friend if Patrick offended him twice in less than twenty-four hours, that's for sure.

"Maybe," Is all Patrick says as he takes another long drag from the cigarette.

--

"Holy fucking shit, you aren't going to believe this," A tall boy with black hair with a blue streak in it says. He sits down in front of Patrick and Joe at their lunch table.

"What is it this time, Barakat?" Joe groans, throwing a fry at the boy. Barakat laughs and eats the fry.

"Way and Wentz broke up. You didn't hear it from me," And then he's gone. Like he was never there.

Joe and Patrick turn to each other, eyes wide with the same shocked look on their faces. "It has to be a rumour," Joe says immediately. "They've been dating since before I started this school five years ago. Everyone thought they were going to get married,"

Patrick blinks once and looks up, and shit, there's Wentz walking their way. More like trudging. His jaw is clenched, head down as he looks at his shoes, knowing the whispers that have suddenly occupied the whole cafeteria are about him.

He takes a seat at their table, and seconds later, Mikey comes in, the boy Joe and Patrick saw him with on his arm. Pete looks at them and sighs.

"Are you-" Before Patrick can finish his question, Wentz puts his hand up and stops Patrick.

Patrick looks to Joe and then back to Wentz as the last begins to speak. "No, I'm not,"

He gets up and leaves the lunchroom, the whispers becoming louder as his footsteps grow fainter. Finally, the talking before both halves of the ex cutest couple in school came in resumes its full volume.

"I should go check on him," Patrick says after a few moments. Joe raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure if that's the best idea.." He says, trailing off. Patrick stands up.

"I know what to say to him," And then he's gone.

Patrick tries to find Wentz, tracing his footsteps. He goes places he thinks Pete might be. The library is a definite no, even though Patrick knows Pete's a huge literature freak. His dorm would be a stupid place since everyone would check there first.

Wait a minute! Patrick's brain is full of all kinds of thoughts at the moment. But they just stop once he figures out where Pete may be.

He walks as fast as he can -- fuck it, he's running by now -- to the block with the music classes. Pete might be a huge lit freak, but shit, he's one of the music professor's best students.

When he finds the whole section unlocked and Pete with his back to the door, an acoustic in his hands, he doesn't say a word. Pete's got his eyes closed, so he goes and takes a seat in front of his friend. He's strumming lightly, tears streaming down his face.

[cue coldplay]

Pete's eyes open seconds later, and he doesn't look surprised to see Patrick. He just kinda nods at his presence.

Patrick removes the headphones from Pete's ears, setting them on the table nearby. He takes the acoustic from Pete's hands and sets it in his own lap.

"What are you doing, newbie?" Pete asks in a gentle tone. Far too gentle from someone who just got their heart ripped out of their chest.

"Figured I'd try my hand in the comforting category," Patrick says as he strums a few notes. "Tell Stumpy what's wrong,"

"You're creepy as fuck, Stump," Pete says, a small smile on his face. It disappears seconds later. "Mikey broke up with me to be with the new guy. Toro or something,"

Patrick waits a few seconds before letting out a sigh as he moves the acoustic to the floor. "He doesn't deserve you. Why would he throw away a five year relationship for some new piece of meat?"

"That's what I've been asking myself. Maybe I'm not good enough anymore," Pete says, shrugging. "I've heard the whispers. What's Wentz going to do without Way to be his rock?" He says, immitating the same things Patrick heard in the cafeteria.

"Hey, hey, shut up. You're beautiful, Pete. Lovely. When I came here, you know what? I met you as Pete Wentz. I didn't meet you as Pete Wentz, Mikey Way's boyfriend. To be honest, I think I like you better this way," Patrick says.

Pete smiles at him, a few more tears rolling down his cheeks. Patrick takes his thumbs and wipes them away.

"Enough of the sad shit, man. Lemme show you how a pro does it," He says, and he grabs the guitar.

Pete eyes him, an amused look on his tear-stained face. "Don't hurt yourself now, Stump,"

"Watch and learn, baby,"

And he starts strumming some chords that Pete recognises almost automatically. "You've got to be kidding me," Pete says, laughing.

Patrick continues to strum, winking at Pete. He begins to sing, and when he does, Pete's mouth drops open.

"If all our life is but a dream, fantastic posing greed. Then we should feed our jewellery to the sea,"

nORTHERN DOWNPOUR SENDS ITS LOVE

also yo @ stump calling pete baby