Authors note: hey everybody! I recently watched Wallflowers with some friends and it gave me a thought. So anyways, the overall song for this story is 'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran. Enjoy!
College life was…fun. The classes weren't easy but the actual classrooms gave a special sense of anonymity that was unlike anything Patrick had experienced. His roommate was a free thinker who would rather spend hours talking about crazy out of proportion things than about the occasional guy he would have to kick out in the morning. It was his roommate that had brought him to the party he was currently at. The music wasn't old- well some of it was but it was certainly still a far leap from the worst forty.
Cigar smoke toyed with the smoke of multiple other things of worse reputations and gave his head a delightful numbness he had strived for in high school so many nights. To his right sat a dark skinned man who had been checking him out on and off the whole night a silver cartilage piercing glinted from the light. If no one better showed up then he wouldn't just have to touch with his eyes, that piercing could prove fun.
The door opened and Patrick looked over, it was odd for anyone to come or go so late into the party. A very pale willowy boy slid in through the door accompanied by a similar looking girl who laughed loudly at whatever the boy said.
He watched as the boy grabbed a drink from the counter and proceeded to twirl around crazily and down the drink. The boy was surprisingly short for someone so thin and lengthy looking and the short messy blonde hair gave Patrick the thought of wind. His pale cheeks were already red from alcohol and Patrick swore he saw green eyes underneath the white blonde hair.
Lifting the red solo cup to his mouth Patrick greedily pulled in the cheap beer and allowed the unrefined burn wallow at the back of his throat. Surprisingly, Patrick was still fairly sober, no pills or small squares had made their way into his system, only the familiar and somewhat comforting buzz of alcohol lingered in his mind.
"Hey Jace! I found that hat!" it was the girl, now waving a white fedora wildly in the air. The blonde boy held his hands up to catch the hat then glared when the girl stuck it on her head and pranced away.
"Fine bitch! Find me when you're done." Jace called towards the already disappearing girl. Patrick looked away and saw that his roommate had disappeared. Lovely. Another drag from his drink emptied the cup. Setting it down Patrick sighed and stepped around some trash to the island where some solo cups were sitting full. Picking up another cup he drank greedily.
"Shitty set-up eh?" he looked over at the blonde who was watching him amused, an elbow propped on the counter to hold his head up. Patrick nodded jerkily.
"Yeah, nothing like the parties I had back home. Familiar but boring." The blonde grinned at that and nodded before picking up a cup for himself. He took a sip and grimaced.
"Always the shittiest brand from the shittiest store around. I'm Jace." Jace grabbed an open bottle of cream soda and proceeded to dump his beer into the soda.
"Patrick. Does that even make it taste any better?" Jace nodded and poured the now spiked soda back into his cup.
"I get called a fruit for doing it but I'd rather wake up with a decent taste in my mouth than the equivalent of flavored rubbing alcohol and water." Patrick laughed at the description.
"At least the music isn't totally terrible." Patrick set down his cup and leaned against the counter.
"True, but it could be better. You want to get out of here?" Jace nodded his head towards the door. "I've got some good music in my dorm."
"Why not? Not like my roommate will care." Jace ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his new drink before pushing off the counter.
"Alright, let's go." Patrick found himself following the blonde outside into the cold air. Jace pulled down the sleeves of his white button down "Damn it got cold."
"Yeah, fall does that. You sure seem to be dressed up nice for a college party." Patrick said casually. Jace glanced up.
"Yeah, I uh broke up with my boyfriend tonight. Caught him cheating." Jace shrugged and slapped a tree branch as they walked.
"Yikes." Patrick muttered looking away across the campus.
"Eh, it's better this way. My dorm's in building G. Go right." Jace laughed quietly as he took a drink from his cup.
Patrick found himself sitting in a generally neat coed dorm on a blue and green comforter picking at his hat as Jace pulled up the music on his laptop.
"I'm feeling a bit of everything tonight. You mind?" Patrick shook his head at the question and Jace hit shuffle. Billy Joel began filtering through the speakers and Jace smiled. "Billy Joel is one of those must-have guys. Can't imagine what I'd do without him."
"Certainly says a lot more than just having a hangover. Kinda like English class." Patrick said as he leaned against the wall. Jace sat beside him and closed his eyes.
"Yep. Let's overly read into obvious statements. Cigarette?" Patrick glanced down and saw a cigarette clasped between surprisingly thin fingers. He took it and grabbed the lighter on the bed.
"What made you come to the party?" Patrick asked after his cigarette was suitably lit up. Jace blew out smoke.
"I figured it would be better than staying in my dorm and Annie wanted to go." He raised his cigarette once more and the tip lit up brightly and grew rapidly. The music changed and Patrick immediately recognized the song.
"Oh my God, you do have good music!" Patrick exclaimed, sitting up. Jace grinned and jumped up.
"Hell yes I do. Now get up! If we came to have fun then we might as well be idiots while we have the chance!" Jace laughed as Patrick pulled himself up.
"My sister and I used to dance to this all the time," Patrick said as Jace raised the volume and began flailing around happily, cigarette set in a gem covered ashtray.
"Then let's dance," Jace grabbed his hand and removed the cigarette to place it beside his own before grabbing on again and pulling Patrick around the room. Deciding to go out on a hunch Patrick assumed the male position and spun Jace around and watched him come back set up for the next step in the dance.
"You can swing dance?" Jace nodded.
"My mom made me take it with my sister when I was a kid." Patrick lifted him up in the air and spun him around before they went back to simply flailing as they pleased.
The song ended and Patrick looked at the flushed and out of breath Jace who looked back with huge green eyes. Leaning down Patrick pressed his lips onto Jaces' experimentally. He was about to pull away disappointedly when arms wrapped around his neck and tugged him down as Jaces' warm lips pressed harder against his own.
Running his hands through the soft white hair Patrick trailed his fingers down Jace until they rested on his hips. Squeezing his hips gently when Jace opened his mouth Patrick happily explored the warm wet space that tasted like cream soda and now-tangy alcohol.
Jace was crushed to him now; fingers woven in his hair toying with his scalp and tugging at the brown locks. Pushing Jaces' hips backwards they fell on his single bed and the blondes hands flew to underneath Patricks' shirt. A soft moan had Patricks' head swimming.
Hands slipped out from under his shirt and began pushing on his chest. Disappointment flared and he pulled back. Jace was flushed but huge sad eyes looked out from under the messed up blonde hair.
"I'm sorry, I just can't." Patrick nodded and leaned over to pick up the forgotten cigarette. Relighting the dead embers he let the nicotine dull everything from its previous excited state. Looking at Jace he watched a tear roll down his red cheeks.
"Hey," Jace looked up "It's fine. I understand." Patrick said, raising a hand to stroke his cheek. Jace leaned into the touch before turning back.
"I shouldn't have led you on. It was mean of me." Jace muttered, reaching over for his own cigarette and grabbing the forgotten lighter.
"It's not like it will hurt me to not hit a home run." Jace laughed shortly at that.
"Yeah, I just hate being a cocktease." Patrick looked over curiously.
"I thought people enjoyed being one of those." Patrick mused. Jace rolled his eyes.
"I was called 'Teaser' in high school for being one. I didn't mean to be one. It's just my old school morals I guess." Jace blew out smoke with his words.
"I was called 'Nothing' in high school. My own fault really for shitty wording." Patrick told him, humor in his voice. Jace looked over.
"What was 'Nothing' like?" Jace asked. Patrick tensed, memories of Brad and sleazy parties coming back.
"That, you're gonna have to find out," Patrick answered lightly "It's really soon but, could I meet you somewhere to hang out or something?" Jace glanced over, cigarette held in midair.
"I work on essays Tuesdays at Panera if you want to meet me there." Jace said at last.
"Yeah, sure. When?"
"How about you meet me at one for late lunch?" Jace posed. Patrick agreed and stood.
"I should probably head back to go sleep." He said after casting a glance at the clock that proudly proclaimed that it was in fact three in the morning.
"Why ever would you sleep? Sleep is for the weak." Jace laughed as he pulled out a notebook and tore a piece of paper out. Scribbling on it quickly he stood and handed it to Patrick. A phone number. Patrick grinned at the tiny note at the bottom.
"Sleep makes time go faster. I'll text you tomorrow while I slack in history." Patrick opened the door while Jace laughed.
"Bye Patrick." The door shut and Patrick stood there for a moment in the quiet hallway. He needed to talk to Sam. He would do it tomorrow he decided as he left the building and found his own.
Stepping into his dark dorm he heard two separate sets of breaths and rolled his eyes. Smart roommate. Very smart.
Lying in his own bed Patrick stared at the ceiling a smile playing on his face. Glancing over at the clock to find it had gone on to four he clenched his hands and beat the bed beneath him, laughing silently before turning over and allowing himself to sleep.
A/N: hello all! It's me again :P please review? I want everything, flames, compliments, inbetweeners, just as long as it's useful! Until next time.
