Pete finds Joe in his room, shirt off and laying flat on his stomach on the bed. Pete is betting he didn't mean to leave his door unlocked, either.

"Hey." He says quietly, careful not to startle Joe too much. The other boy just turns his head to look at Pete in response. Pete can see Joe's cheeks, puffy and wet like he's been crying. Pete doesn't blame him. "How are you holding up?"

"How do you think?" Joe hisses, choking back a sob. "My boyfriend of three years cheated on me with one my best friends."

"Fucking Brendon." Is the only response Pete offers, sinking down onto the bed next to Joe.

"Why didn't Patrick tell me until now?" Joe demands, turning back to face Pete.

Pete simply shrugs. "He knew how much it would hurt you. And he knew how much it would hurt you today, too. But believe it or not, he knew it would hurt Andy more. That's why he told you today."

"Fuck, I need new friends." Joe mutters, and Pete tries not to take offence to that because Joe's just hurt right now. "Fuck Andy, honestly. I've been attracted to people, too. But have I ever made a move on anyone else? Fuck no I haven't. Because I love him, and some new piece of ass isn't going to change what we've gone through together. Just wish he felt the same."

Pete trails a hand over to Joe's hair and begins carding his fingers through it, trying to soothe the only person that's really ever been here for him. "I'm sorry."

"If it's anyone's fault like in the least, it's yours. You had no clue what was going on, and therefore, you're not involved with it. Right now, I'd just like you to keep playing with my hair and letting me snot all over you."

"Of course." Pete says as he does just that. He lays there and plays with Joe's hair and lets the younger boy cry into his shoulder.

"I don't know how to be single, Pete. I don't know what I'm supposed to do on Friday nights or who I'm supposed to have sex with anymore. I don't know how I'm going to forget Andy and move on to someone else. I don't want to." Joe explains, lifting his head to look Pete in the eyes.

"Maybe you don't have to." Pete says, and Joe snorts, as if staying with Andy isn't an option. "Hear me out. Make him work for you. You guys can work through this and come out stronger. You're just going to have to learn how to forgive and forget."

"Isn't that what everyone's expecting me to do? I don't know who I am without Andy, Pete. It's been so long, I don't remember how to function without him." Joe says, taking a deep breath. "I can't do that. I can't just forgive him and forget everything he's done. If I just say 'oh well' and get back with him, what's stopping him from doing it again?"

"Nothing. Nothing's stopping him from doing it again. You're right." Pete finds himself saying before he can stop. "He's an asshole, and he doesn't deserve you."

"Exactly. I'm Joe fucking Trohman. Look at me. I could have tons of guys begging at my feet and I'm seriously sitting here trying to find out if I want to go back to the guy that crushed my fucking heart and made me look stupid in front of the whole school." Joe pushes himself up and off of the bed, away from Pete. He goes to his sink and rinses his face off, fixing his hair from where Pete had messed it up by playing with it.

When he walks over to his closet and grabs a short-sleeved button-up and puts it on, Pete asks, "Where are you going?"

"To find someone that's going to put my needs before their own." Joe says simply as he continues to button his shirt.

"Right now? Don't you think things are still a little.." Pete trails off, looking for the right word to use, "fresh?"

"Today's perfect. There's a party tonight in the dorm where the Strength kids stay. All of those guys are hot as fuck." Joe says as he finds a pair of tight black ripped skinny jeans and puts those on too. "Aren't you coming with?" He asks Pete expectantly.

"I guess I am." Pete says, not worrying about his appearance since all he's going to do is keep Joe out of too much trouble.

They walk out together, and Joe's right. He could have anyone he wants. He looks good, his hair styled just right, and his jeans hugging his ass in all the right places.

They walk to the other dorm in silence, finding that the party is already in full swing. People are everywhere, loud music is playing, and there are a shit ton of red solo cups.

When Joe and Pete break away from each other, Pete finds a couch to sit on and watch Joe from afar. Someone sits down next to Pete, pulling his attention from Joe.

"Hey." Horacio says, offering Pete a cup. Pete shakes his head.

"Hey, H. I'm good. Just keeping an eye on Joe." Pete points over at his friend, who is now chatting up a tall dark haired guy that Pete doesn't know the name of.

"That's Dallon." Horacio asks, as if he knew Pete was going to ask that question next. "He's kind of the leader of the strength group, besides me."

"I gotcha. He's cute, maybe Joe will go for him." Pete says, more to himself that Horacio.

"Joe Trohman is looking for a new guy?" Horacio asks, his eyes widening in surprise. "You mean he finally found out about Andy and Brendon?"

"You weren't in the café earlier?" Pete asks, and Horacio shakes his head. "Yeah, he found out. Very loudly and in front of everyone."

"So he's on the market, is what you're saying?" Horacio asks, and when Pete nods, the younger boy just turns his drink up, downing it quickly. "See ya later, Pete. I'm going to chat up the hottest guy I've seen in ages."

"Well, that was odd." Pete says to no one, leaning back into the couch. "I knew Horacio didn't have feelings for me."

"He better not." A voice from behind Pete says, and then the guy that the voice belongs to jumps over the couch, revealing himself. It's Patrick, of course.

As his boyfriend sinks back into the couch next to him, Pete turns to face him. "Joe isn't getting back together with Andy."

"I figured as much." Patrick says, shrugging his shoulders. He's got a cup in his hand, and when Pete narrows his eyes, Patrick just laughs, thrusting the cup into Pete's hand. "Try it, you'll be surprised."

When Pete does, he finds out it's just water, and he relaxes, glad he doesn't have to take care of both Patrick and Joe tonight. "How is Andy taking things?"

"Dunno. Don't care, really, either." Patrick says nonchalantly, his eyes focused on Joe. "It makes sense that Baker likes Joe. That's why he was up your ass when you spilled your drink on him."

"I guess so." Pete says, watching as one of Joe's bands finds Horacio's hip, pulling the younger boy closer to him. "Don't you think this day ended up being fucking awful?"

"What do you mean?" Patrick asks, looking away from Joe and back to Pete.

"I mean Joe's already looking for a new guy, and he broke up with Andy like an hour and a half ago. That's weird, right?" Pete explains, and Patrick shrugs.

"If you ask me, Andy and Joe were over a long time ago. This just finished it off for them."

"I guess that makes sense." Pete mumbles, leaning back into his boyfriend and relaxing, glad that Patrick is here with him.

An angry, loud voice, however, makes Pete's eyes open immediately, and he's sitting up. He finds the source of noise to be Andy, in Horacio's face.

"Jesus fuck." Patrick mutters, standing up and making his way over to Joe, Horacio, and Andy.

"This just got a whole lot more interesting." Pete says to himself, joining the group of angry yelling.

well joe is taking this whole thing better than many of you probably thought he would.

however, it's not going to be as easy as you'd think for him to move on, so just wait.

sorry for the late late late update