Pete is sitting in between Joe's legs, as Joe dyes his hair on the kitchen floor of TJ's apartment. "Are you completely sure this is the colour you want to go with?" Andy asks from his spot at the dining room table, scratching the back of his head.

"Yes." Pete answers simply, not paying the boy any attention. Andy shrugs and stands, handing Joe what he needs when he needs it.

The whole process takes about thirty minutes. Pete catches a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror when he goes to rinse his hair. He looks awful. He's pale and skinnier than usual, and it doesn't look good on him.

He wonders how Patrick's doing. It's been hours since the last update, and TJ was supposed to update them as soon as he made it to where Patrick is. He left hours ago.

Pete towels his hair off and looks at himself in the mirror. "Get your shit together, Wentz." He tells himself. This colour suits him but not like it does Patrick.

He walks back into the kitchen to find Joe and Andy standing at the sink together, speaking quietly, about Pete. "I'm just saying, maybe encouraging his impromptu decisions isn't the best thing we could do."

"What? He doesn't look as good with red hair?" Joe asks, and Andy sighs, shaking his head.

"Joe, come on. That's not what I meant." Andy says, and he looks frustrated. Like all he wants to do is kiss Joe. Push him against the wall and work out their problems in a different way.

"He's upset! Do you not understand what sort of drastic things people do when they're upset?" Joe demands, and Andy sighs, face softening.

"You don't want Horacio." Andy infers, and Joe's eyes widen. Pete feels like maybe he should step in before this conversation takes a turn for the worse.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Joe says, but it isn't very convincing.

"I do. You love me. And I know I haven't showed it much lately, but I love you too. You're the one, Joe. And that scares me." Andy says, and Joe snorts.

"You're fucking ridiculous. That's your excuse for cheating on me? You were scared?" Joe pushes Andy away when the latter tries to cup his face.

Andy pushes back, crowding Joe into the counter. He grabs Joe's wrists, pushing them down by their sides. "It's not an excuse. It's the truth. And it's not your fault. It is completely, one hundred percent, my fault. I have a tendency to fuck things that mean a lot to me up, and you're no different."

Joe shakes his head, eyes searching Andy's face for indication that he's telling the truth. Pete can see the moment Joe's face softens. "I love you, you fucking idiot. I want to marry you one day."

Andy looks stunned, and his grip loosens enough for Joe to break free and switch their positions, him pressing Andy's wrists into the counter. "I want nothing more than to forgive you and fuck you as hard as I can manage."

"Then do it." Andy gasps, and Joe leans towards him, connecting their lips roughly.

"I can't." Joe says, pulling completely away from Andy. "This isn't going to work."

"Joe, give me another chance. Let me prove to you how much I love you. How much I don't want you messing around with any other guys." Andy presses, mouth on Joe's neck now.

Pete can see Joe's resolve begin to crumble, and he lifts Andy onto the counter, hands on his ex boyfriend's thighs. Andy's find Joe's hair, tugging roughly on the curly strands.

Pete backs away slowly. He continues to back away until he finds himself back in the room he, Joe, and Andy share each night. Sighing and sitting onto the bed, he decides it's time to do something drastic.

He's going to find out where they're holding Patrick, and he's going to sneak off campus to see him.

—

Finding out where TJ went is not as difficult as Pete thought it would be. TJ's written the address on a stationery, which he has on the desk in his room.

Pete takes it, sticking it in the pocket of the hoodie he's wearing. It's Patrick's, with his on it initials underneath the AA logo. It still smells of him, a scent Pete will never get tired of.

Getting out of the front door isn't difficult either, since Andy and Joe are blocking the back door, still moaning loud enough for neighbours five floors up to hear.

Pete's glad they're off campus at TJ's place. At least he doesn't have to worry about getting past security.

He finds a gas station and heads inside after tucking his necklace into Patrick's hoodie, so no one will see and recognise that he goes to the school nearby where students aren't allowed off campus and bust him. Pete looks around, realising it's only him and one elderly man in the store.

He finds a map, a detailed one of the town, digging through the change in his pocket to see if he has enough. He should've grabbed the money TJ left them in case they wanted to order a pizza or Chinese.

He scrapes up one dollar and forty-seven cents. The map is one dollar and twenty-five cents, but Pete doesn't think he'll have enough after tax.

He takes the map to the old man to ring up anyways, hoping that he'll get lucky and have enough. The man smiles, asks how he's doing, and rings the map up.

"That'll be a dollar fifty-three." He says, and Pete's face falls.

"I, uh, only have a dollar and forty-seven. I'll put the map up for you. Thanks." Pete replies, moving to take the map and put it up. He doesn't know what he's going to do now.

"No, no. Don't worry about it, son. Just give me the dollar forty-seven , and we'll call it even." The man smiles, and Pete's face softens. He smiles back at the man, handing him the change.

"Thank you so much, sir." Pete says, and he feels so grateful to have picked this gas station out of the many.

"Don't mention it. I hope you find him." He says, and Pete smiles and turns to walk out. He waves before exiting.

It's then that the words the old man said register in his brain, and he stops in his tracks. How does the man know where he's going? Does Pete know that man? Does Patrick?

whoa it's been a long time

i'm sorry abt that