It had been a month since the couple's first date. Patrick couldn't be happier. He never thought he would ever find himself grinning daily over the one girl he knew to be extraordinary. Dairy Queen was only the start of many more dates, some being spontaneous and no backup plan to fall back on. Nia and Patrick always worked it out somehow. Many nights, the two would sneak out of their bedroom windows and drive to empty parks to stargaze. It was more than bliss for Patrick.

The blonde boy watches Nia as she rambles about more NASA articles she had read online, a smile twitching at his lips. He doesn't understand a lot of the words she's saying (except for a few he may have learned in school), but her enthusiasm is contagious enough.

"So, that's why I think that there's a high chance that aliens could exist," she finishes. Nia turns to Patrick, meeting his soft, gentle gaze.

"Were you even listening?" the violet-eyed girl frowns with a huff. To that, Patrick gives an apologetic smile, proving himself guilty. Nia stops walking, causing Patrick to follow suit.

"I really was trying to keep up," he argues on his behalf. His hand tangles with Nia's, taking it into his grasp. Nia rolls her eyes, a chuckle still escaping her. She can't really blame him. Patrick knows it.

"That's like me talking about different guitars and petals. I could go on and on about bar chords and different keys. You wouldn't get it, though," the blonde explains.
"Yeah, I guess," Nia huffs again, more at herself. Patrick gives her hand a gentle squeeze.
"But don't let me stop you, Witch," he reassures with a smile. To that, Patrick presses a kiss on the temple of her head, encouraging her to continue with her rambles about space.

"You still love music, right?" Nia asks as she continues to walk along the sidewalk. Patrick easily catches the momentum of her subtle pull and walks with her. Nia looks up at him, turning the stage to him.
"Yeah, why?" the boy asks.
"Why don't you do something with it? Like your brother and your dad did?"

Patrick blushes at the suggestion, a chuckle now escaping him. He never thought of making his passion for music something serious. After all, he thought his dad and Kevin were gods when it came to music. He couldn't top them.

"I was thinking of being a critic or something," Patrick dismisses. "Nothing too big, y'know?"
"Have you thought of maybe being a producer?" Nia suggests with a smile. "Or— hell— even be your own one man show! You play every instrument known to man!"
"No, I can't—"
"Yeah, just like I don't know all 67 moons for Jupiter," the girl scoffs sarcastically. Before Patrick can brush off her statement with another wave of modesty, curiosity spikes in him.
"Wait, really? 67 moons?" he gawks, quirking a brow.
"Buster, you've got a talent! Use it, dammit! Then you won't hate your job for the rest of your life," Nia almost scolds.
"Well, I sure hope you don't hate your job, Alien," Patrick vexes back. "I mean, staring at glowing dots and identifying them as stars or planets is so—"
"Awesome!" Nia interrupts.

A large grin stretches across her face and Patrick can already see the intergalactic dreams weave in her wonderful mind. He can't help but to smile back at the beaming girl.

"I was going to say boring," he finishes, finishing his playful banter.
"I mean, the Sun isn't the biggest star! That could mean that there's other galaxies! And who knows what's in those galaxies! I wanna find out what's in them! I wanna—"
"It's like you're ten again," Patrick giggles. He takes a quick glance at their surroundings, realizing that they are close to home.

"What are you doing later tonight?" Patrick asks.
"Nothing important," Nia states, biting back her enthusiasm about the possible worlds beyond their own planet. Patrick can see she is about to burst into the stardust he was certain she was made out of.

"Why?" she asks. Patrick gives a nonchalant shrug.
"Maybe we can go stargazing again. Sneak out like we usually do?" he suggests. Nia frowns at the idea with a pout.
"It's overcast tonight," she informs the blonde boy. "I think it'll rain tonight, too."
"Stargazing on TV?" Patrick halfheartedly jokes. To that, Nia chuckles at the awful pun Patrick is building up to.

"I mean, they're not balls of gas or whatever, but... they are stars," Patrick laughs. "Ones I can name, too!"
"It's not the same, but at least you're there," Nia jesters.
"Bring whatever movies and snacks you have," Patrick encourages. "My mom is out for the weekend, so if you wanna spend the night, go for it."
"Aw," Nia coos, "Is the Ghostbuster scared?"
"Second thought, don't come at all," Patrick laughs. Nia joins in on the humorous sound. "Keep your snacks and your movies."
"I'll be over by seven, Buster."

* * *

A tap on the window snaps Patrick out of organizing his movies. He looks through the curtains and sees Nia with a duffle bag as she waits outside. Patrick smiles at the girl and opens the window, letting her crawl through.

"I told you not to come," he jokes.
"You know you want me here, dork," she shoots back with a chuckle. Nia tosses her duffle bag by Patrick's bed, giving her room to remove her sleeping bag that rested on her back— almost like a makeshift backpack.

"So, what's scheduled?" she asks, looking up at Patrick.
"Whatever you want to watch," he says with a shrug. "You're the guest."
"No Ghostbusters. Got it."

Patrick lets out a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest as he gawks at Nia. She laughs at his over-the-top performance.
"At least I have all the original Star Wars movies," Nia says with a grin. She reaches for her duffle bag and takes out the three DVD copies of the trilogy. "I know you like Star Wars."

Patrick feigns an unimpressed frown, imitating a careless shrug.
"I mean, I guess," he whines. Nia laughs and puts the disc into the DVD player. While it plays through previews and advertisements, Nia takes out snacks from her bag and Patrick goes to the kitchen to get popcorn and drinks. The two sit next to each other on the floor, a bucket of popcorn between them and the glow of the television screen caressing their faces.

"This reminds me of when we were kids," Patrick says as he eats a few pieces of popcorn. "Remember those movie nights we used to have?"
"There's one thing missing," Nia states. Patrick quirks a brow at the girl, unsure of what could possibly be amiss.

Nia opens a box of M&Ms and pours it over the popcorn, earning a cheer from Patrick.
"Now it's like when we were kids," Nia declares with a grin.
"Who is what in the relationship?" Patrick asks, eating more of the combination. "I feel like I'm popcorn."
"You wish!"
"People say I'm great and all, but I can get annoying and stuck in your teeth."
"Yeah, you're a salty dude," Nia mentions, continuing the banter.
"Hey!" Patrick laughs.

The couple watch the movies, one after the other, occasionally joking about scenes with small inside jokes from years ago. Eventually, Patrick lies on his bed as they watch the ending of another Ghostbusters film (after begging Nia for about two seconds).

Rain hitting the windowpane and glass becomes white noise, leaving the room quiet after the credits are done rolling. Patrick looks down at Nia, finding her unraveling her sleeping bag.

"Hey," he says gently. It's enough to get her attention. Nia looks back at him, her violet eyes meeting his blue ones. "Tired already?"
"Not really," she replies. "I feel like it because of the rain. Plus, it's kinda cold down here."

Patrick scoots over, leaving room in his bed for her. He lifts the covers, inviting her in.
"Wanna... sleep up here?" he stammers. "Only if you're comfortable with it—"
"—are you okay with that?"

They pause for a moment, stopping their overlapping babbles. They share a small laugh, both of their cheeks flushed with a hue of red.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to do," he informs. To that, Nia nods, reassurance veiling her face. The violet-eyed girl stands and claims the open space, letting Patrick drape the covers over her figure. Every curve of her forms perfectly beside his own body. The blonde can't help but smile at the feeling. It's almost as if they were puzzle pieces made for each other.

Patrick buries his face into the crook of her neck, his arm falling comfortably around her. It was like when he was seven again, and she was the Donatello plush he slept with every night. Nia blows out a content sigh. Somehow, Patrick can hear the soft smile attached to the puff of air.

"Thanks," Nia whispers.
"No problem," Patrick mumbles gently. His lips brush against her soft skin as he speaks. He starts to notice the light freckles on her shoulders again, the glow of the screen highlighting them. He only sees them when she wears a tank top-- or that one time at Prom when she wore a strapless dress. He smiles at the faint dots dusted along her skin. It's almost as if she has constellations in her skin, waiting to be connected and named.

Nia grasps onto Patrick's hand, gesturing him to hold her tighter.

"Dude, you're like a heater," she chuckles. Nia turns, taking the constellations away from Patrick. He's given a new galaxy to gaze in. Her eyes.
"You think it's great and all, but it's not," Patrick snickers, joking at the fact that he's always a sweaty person due to his body heat. The girl lets out a small, light laugh, her eyes flickering between his eyes and his lips. She goes for the latter of her attention and kisses the boy gently. Patrick follows suit, quickly obtaining a rhythm with Nia.

The exchange lasts for infinite moments. Their breaths, warm and gentle, become slightly uneven as the kiss intensifies. Nia straddles the boy, their lock too strong and passionate to break.

"W-Wait!" Patrick pants out, forcing himself to pull away from the galaxy pressing new stars on his lips. He looks up at the girl sitting on top of him, her chest rising and falling with every breath. Her face has a red tint to it, but it's not from embarrassment nor modesty.

"Nia... I-I don't know," he stammers out. His palms grow clammy. Every fiber of him wanted Nia in the most wholesome way possible. Much like any other human, he wanted this too. But he wanted it to be the right way.

"Do you... not want to...?" Nia trails off. Her mess of wavy hair starts to tangle. She takes the golden brown waves to her left shoulder as she studied the boy under her.

"I do," Patrick answers with a nod.
"Really, Buster, it's okay if you don't--"
"I want to," he says again. "But only if you want to."

Patrick's hands wrap around Nia's waist, but their eyes are still locked as he waits for an earnest answer. Nia nods and bends down to meet the boy again.

"Yeah," she breathes with a smile. She kisses him, returning to peppering his lips with new intergalactic creations. "I want to."

Patrick smiles against Nia's lips, returning the kisses as he pulls her closer. Every movement is made in some form of unison between them. Everything is in sync, in harmony. It almost seems as if the planets have aligned; gravity in their spirits doesn't exist. The world stops several times just for them as they exchange breathy sweet nothings and stardust-coated caresses.

With every touch, it seems as if Patrick can connect the gentle spots on her bare shoulders. Her smile is the blinding, full moon. Her white teeth, pulling in her bottom, swollen lip like tidal waves as she tries to stifle a sound of pleasure. But it was more than pleasure. It was more than a moment. It was a high that they can't escape. It's all too surreal for the both of them, causing occasional laughs and airy "wow"s to escape from their soft symphonies.

After their peaks, Nia is the first to answer to sleep. Patrick watches her figure rise and fall with each breath she takes. A gentle smile is engraved on her relaxed face. He adjusts the covers to wrap Nia in more warmth as he finds his fitting beside her. She lets out a soft, quiet sigh of gratitude, ensuring her matching puzzle piece of their compatibility.

"I love you," he whispers against her warm skin, planting a light kiss on her shoulder. Drowsiness catches up to Patrick, although he is still faded on their shared love. He rests his head beside Nia's and lets sleep pull his eyelids shut.

"I love you too," he hears Nia whisper back, grogginess slurring her words. A smile engraves itself into Patrick's resting face as well.

A/N:
Sorry this took so long! Things are getting a little easier to manage. So, I will hopefully be able to update this (and many more) more often! Tell me what you think, yeah?

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