"You know we could just turn back. Right now, we could forget the party and go back home. I'll cook for you. You always said you liked my cooking better than your chief's." Pete looked over at his boyfriend in the passenger seat. He chuckled softly with a shake of his head.

"Babe, relax. Why are you so nervous?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Patrick's voice was filled with panic. "Do you not know what I know?" Pete kept his eyes on the road and smirked.

"I think you're worried about nothing."

"'Worried about nothing? Pete, are you insane? You come from one of the richest families in the world and I come from a barely middle class family. Are you telling me that no one's gonna pay attention to that?" Pete shrugged.

"Who cares? It's not their business who I date anyway."

"When they find out where I come from, they're gonna think I'm only with you for your money," Patrick continued to ramble.

"Are you?" Patrick shook his head quickly.

"What? Of course not! You know I love you for you. I wouldn't care if you were poor."

"Then don't worry about what they say."

"Pete, it's not that simple. It's not just the money. I don't fit in with that crowd. They'll be all proper and privileged and rich." Pete let out a small laugh.

"Is that how I am?"

"When we first met yeah," Patrick said without hesitation.

"But you helped me change that about myself. Patty, they're gonna love you. If they don't, then know that I still will." Patrick stared at his lap and played with the help of his dress shirt.

"What if you just introduced me as just a friend. They won't be as judgemental. It'll be easier." Patrick had to brace his hands on the dashboard when Pete slammed on the brakes and pulled off to the side of the road.

Patrick looked over at his boyfriend. The man had parked the car and taken off his seatbelt. He climbed out, leaving the door wide open. Patrick tracked him as he rounded the car and swung open the passenger side. Pete reached inside and unbuckled Patrick's belt.

"Pete, what are you doing?" Pete turned Patrick so they were facing each other. He took the smaller man's hands in his own.

"Patrick Stump, I don't give two shits what my parents think of you, what my siblings think, my aunts, cousins, nieces, nephew, any of them. I don't care. I love you. I want to be with you. I want to introduce you to my family as my boyfriend so I can show them what an amazing man I'm able to take home with me every night."

"Bu-"

"I want to be able to look at my snooty cousins and prove to them that I am not as shallow as they all thought I was. I want to show them how happy I am and that I don't care about status." Patrick still looked nervous.

"I. Love. You. No matter what, that will never change. Understand?" Patrick nodded slowly. Pete gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Now let's get this night over with so I can cuddle with you in our bed."

"Okay," Patrick said, smiling for the first time all night. Pete let Patrick reposition himself in the seat before shutting the door and moving around the car to get back into his own seat.

They rest of the drive to Pete's parents house was silence except for the radio. When they made it to the long driveway, Patrick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Pete reach over and squeezed his boyfriend's knee.

"Everything will be okay, I promise." Patrick took a deep breath and nodded. Pete parked in front of the steps and climbed out of the car. He walked around and opened Patrick's door, helping him out.

A younger man in a black tux came up to them and Pete handed him the car keys. Pete held Patrick's hand as he led him up the steps to the front door. Patrick was trying his best not to gawk at the house. If he didn't want these rich people judging him, he needed to at least act like this was semi-normal for him.

Another man in a black tux held the door open as the couple got to the door.

"Good to see you again, Master Peter," the man said with a small head bow. Patrick pulled his hand free from Pete's and dropped his head. Pete gave a quick sigh.

"How many times have I told you Jon, just call me Pete." The man, Jon, gave a shy smile.

"Sorry man, habit. You know how your mom is." Pete rolled his eyes and nodded knowingly. "Anyways, heads up. Meagan's here," he said, wagging his eyebrows.

"Thanks, but I'm done with her. I'm actually here with my boyfriend, Patrick." Pete wrapped his arm around Patrick's shoulder. Patrick lifted his head a little and waved. "Thought he could meet my parents." Jon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"You got a boyfriend?" Pete nodded excitedly with a boyish grin on his face. "Never thought I'd live to see the day. Playboy Pete is in a serious relationship. It's serious right?"

"Of course it's serious. Wouldn't've called him my boyfriend if it wasn't," Pete chuckled. Jon nodded.

"I'm happy for you. You look happier."

"Thanks man. We should probably head in."

"Have fun. Good luck with being around Pete's relatives Patrick. You're gonna need it." Patrick looked over at Pete with worried as they walked.

"Ignore him," Pete said with a smile. Patrick looked around, beyond amazed at the room. There was a crystal chandelier hanging from the impossibly high ceiling. Two stair cases leading to the second floor landing. Between the stairs, where Pete was leading them, were two opened french doors.

As they past the doors, Patrick shrunk slightly to Pete's side. It was a grand ballroom holding what Patrick assumed was all of Pete's family dressed in the fanciest suits and dresses he'd ever seen.

His free hand tugged down at his dress shirt, feeling out of place amongst the wealthy. Before they left home, Pete insisted that Patrick's outfit was perfect. Now, he was regretting listening to the man.

He looked up at Pete and frowned. They were dressed almost exactly alike, but Pete screamed wealth. It was in the way he carried himself, how he held his head high and knew that he belonged with this kind of group. Patrick would never feel that, not here at least.

"Peter." Patrick turned to the sound of a woman calling his boyfriend's name. The woman seemed to glide toward them. Pete let go of Patrick's hand and embraced the woman.

"Hello, mom." Pete's mother pulled away and kissed both of her son's cheeks.

"How are you doing, darling? I haven't seen you in ages." Patrick was ready to make a dash for the front door. He couldn't do this. That was Pete's mom standing in front of them. She was the vision of beauty and class. Her hair was neatly pinned up. She wore an elegant green dress with a string of pearls decorating her neck. She was gorgeous.

"Mom, this is Patrick, my boyfriend." The woman turned her gaze from her son to the man standing next to him. Her eyes widened for a second in surprise, almost as if she didn't even notice him at first and was surprised to see him.

"Oh. Hello Patrick. It's nice to meet you." She offered a friendly smile which Patrick returned.

"Hello ma'am. It's nice to meet you too," he responded shyly. Pete's mother stared, as if she were waiting for him to say something else. The man began fidgeting under the stare. He looked around the room before landing his gaze to the floor.

"So... Patrick." Her voice was beginning to lose the warmth it originally had with Pete. "What do you do?"

"Patrick's a chief. He's amazing. Best food I've ever had," Pete spoke proudly.

"Is that so? Where did you train? Paris? Italy? Spain?"

"No. I uh, I'm self taught," Patrick almost mumbled.

"No special training? Well how come? If Peter speaks so highly of your cooking, you must've trained." Patrick shook his head. "I'm sure you could further your skills then. I'm acquainted with a Chief Dupuis who teaches a program at University in the state over. Best program in the country in my opinion."

"Oh. I don't," Patrick started and felt his face growing red. "I don't think I could... afford training like that."

"It's not as much as you would think. I'm sure you could do it. What's your name?"

"Mom," Pete said almost in a warning voice. She rolled her eyes and waited for Patrick to respond.

"Patrick Stump." His anxiety was steadily climbing.

"Stump? I don't believe I recognize that name. What does your father do?"

"He works at a hardware store."

"Hardware store. That's interesting. How many stores does he own?" Patrick chewed his lip. Here it comes.

"He doesn't own the store. He's just an employee."

The woman snapped her head over to Pete. Shock was written all over her face. It took a minute for her to recover from the statement. She cleared her throat turned back to her son's boyfriend.

"I see. Well, that's... nice." She gave a forced smile that made Patrick feel like his nerves were going to kill him. "Will you excuse me while I talk to my son in private?"

Before either man could object, she walked away, expecting to be followed.

"Pete, don't leave me." Pete kissed his forehead.

"She'll get upset if I don't go. You'll be alright. Try talking to some of my other relatives until I come back or have some food. I won't be long."

Pete walked away before Patrick could speak. He stood in his spot as he watched his boyfriend go to his mom to obviously talk about him.

When Pete stood in front of his mom, she had a frown on her face before shifting into a smirk.

"You must be joking Peter." There was humor in her voice. "If this is some kinda of revenge for arranged engagement incident, it isn't funny." Pete was the one frowning now.

"I'm not joking about Patrick. He's my boyfriend. I hoped that you'd accept that."

"But sweetheart he's... well he's," she trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. "I thought you had more dignity than that."

"Patrick is an amazing man. If you would get to know him, you'd see how sweet and kind he is."

The two turned to see Patrick walking unsurely around the room. He bumped another man and was quickly spilling apologies.

"He's not like us, Peter. What about Meagan? She was a lovely girl. Her father is working on buying a company in China."

"I don't want to be Meagan in that way."

"But Peter." A loud clatter pulled their attention again. Pete's mother brought a hand to her mouth as she gasp at the scene.

Patrick was on his hands and knees picking up spilled food off the polished floor. There was a worker watching with an eyebrow raised in confusion. Even he could tell Patrick didn't belong.

"I don't want you with someone like that. He's no good for you. He doesn't know our ways." Pete ignored his mother as he watched the waiter pull Patrick to his feet.

His relatives didn't try hard to hold in their laughs. Even though he wasn't next to him, Pete could feel how ashamed Patrick was. He could almost feel the tears welling in his boyfriend's eyes. The waiter led him out of the room. Before he could follow, his mother grasped his arm.

"You're not listening to me." Pete yanked his arm out of her hold.

"What's there to listen to? You don't approve. A blind man can see that. So what if he isn't rich? So what if isn't highly trained? Who cares if he's shy and awkward? So he's clumsy and over apologetic. That's who he is. He's also very caring and passionate. He has these big dreams and I want to be there to support them. He's helped me become a better person so I can treat people fairly."

"He doesn't belong with our kind."

"We're not Gods just because we have money mother. We're all the same. Patrick is a fucking saint and deserves to be treated like a king. And that's what I'm gonna do."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's the one, mom." Her mouth dropped open at the phrase. "I love Patrick with every fiber of my being and I want to spend my life with him. For whatever reason, he loves me for me, flaws and all. This man deserve everything his heart desires and I intent on giving it to him. Starting with leaving this fucking party."

Pete stormed away, pushing through the crowd toward the door Patrick was taken to. He ignored his mother calling his name until he made it to the hallway. He was relieved to see his boyfriend sitting down with his face in his hands and a staff member there comforting him.

"Patrick?" Pete spoke softly as he walked to them. Patrick peeked up revealing red, teary eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered. Pete shook his head fast and dropped down to his knees. He tore the hands away from Patrick's face and held them tightly in his own.

"No baby. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forced you to come."

"I made a fool out of myself out there," the smaller man cried.

"It's okay. When I first started here, I tripped down the stairs and landed on another worker." Pete looked up at the employee he recognized to be Brendon. "I'm the clumsiest person in this estate by a long shot."

"You're lying just to make me feel better," Patrick mumbled.

"Actually, he's not. Brendon's got a reputation if causing disasters. I'm surprised they let him work the main floor tonight. I'm sure everyone out their believed he was the one who dropped the tray," Pete said with a chuckle. Patrick looked over Brendon who nodded in confirmation.

"They all still hate me."

"I don't hate you," Brendon spoke up. Pete rolled his eyes and kissed the tip of Patrick's nose.

"I definitely don't hate you and that's all that should matter."

"I just wanted tonight to go well."

"Let's go home and get you into some pjs. That's would be the perfect way to end the night."

"But the party."

"The only person I want to be with right now is you at home in bed."

"Really?"

"Really really." Patrick pulled Pete into a tight hug.

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

"Aww!" The couple pulled away to see Brendon with his hands over his heart. "That's so beautiful." Pete chuckled and pulled himself and Patrick to their feet.

"Shouldn't you be heading back and causing more mayhem?"

"Oh right." He straightened the tie of his tux and began heading back to the party room. "Pleasure meeting you Patrick."

"You too. Thanks for helping me." Brendon nodded his head disappeared behind the doors.

"Ready to go home?" Patrick nodded with a smile and let Pete lead him away from the luxury fantasy and back to their normal lives. He couldn't be happier.

---

A/N:

I decided to stop posting Ryden here seeing as the majority of my ideas are that. I didn't want this book to be mainly Ryden. If you'd still like some more Ryden content, I did make a oneshot book just for that so go check it out and tell me what you think.

Also..

RANT!!

So!! My university has decided to cancel classes next week and switch to online classes which I'm fine with. Whatever. My introverted ass never liked to leave my dorm anyway.

But they're also allowing students move out for the semester and go home to help with quarantine or whatever which isn't that big of an issue. I don't blame them because I'd go home too if I didn't need to work cause I need money.

I also wouldn't care if I wasn't a student manager at the dining hall. The students leaving have now started to include the majority of my student staff so that's just fan-flippin-tastic.

I gotta wake up tomorrow morning to go work a thirteen hour shift that's understaffed!

Also I think one of my roommates (who's one of my best friends, out of state and also one of my workers) is gonna move out and she has been keeping it from me.

Now my delicate ass is all stressed and upset and is trying to ignore how stressed and upset I am and staying clear of all three of my roommate all together. Can't get hurt if there's no one around to hurt you 👍🏼

I also have tickets to 6 concert (including Green Day, MCR, and BTS) so if any of these concert get cancelled I will just curl into a ball and die.

Thanks for listening! Lol