Hi! I know I haven't been active with my account, I'm sorry to say, but you already know the excuse if you've read my note on PTMHTPTB.

This is another Peterick, and I KNOW I've been writing a few of those rather than what I should be doing, which is working on 'College Surprises'. No excuse; honestly, I'm actually considering putting it up for adoption. Maybe. I haven't decided yet.

Pairing: Peterick (PetexPatrick)

Genre: General/Romance.

Rating: T.

It had started light at first, as it always usually does, with a tiny splash of water on your nose or maybe your cheek. When the tiny sprinkles became as heavy as maybe feathers, you would take out your umbrella, and probably put your hood up for good measure. When you got to your house, or car, or maybe the funeral home, you would find it was a waste of time, because as soon as it had started, it had stopped, and you would have opened that rusty umbrella for nothing.

That was a light shower. Not a rainstorm.

Two people were running through the park, scrambling over the hedges and overturned trashcans as the heavy rain pelted them repeatedly with no mercy. The man in the soaked grey jeans was squinting, trying in vain to see where the hell he was going with his blurred vision.

"Hey, Patrick, can you see anything?" He called loudly over the loud drum of the rain. The blonde behind him, who was gripping his hand for dear life, tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. His eyes were squeezed shut.

"No! Are you crazy? Every time I open my eyes I feel like they're getting hit with a soaked towel! Just slow down, Pete!"

Pete didn't answer as they approached the gates, making a sharp turn once outside of them and almost slamming into their savior, the black and blue Honda Civic. Pete fumbled around in his hoodie pocket, looking for the keys. He clicked the unlock button and Patrick let go of his hand, running over to the other side of the car and getting in quickly. Pete followed, slamming his door shut, let out a deep breath, and rested his head back against the headrest.

When he looked over at Patrick, he laughed. The chuberic man was slumped in his seat, his long blonde hair's unusual darkness hinting it was drenched - with the trucker's cap on it soaked - and his grey blue eyes glaring at the dashboard. He turned his look on Pete when he heard the other man laugh. "What is so funny, Wentz?"

Pete turned the ignition and backed off the curb onto the street, giving his Cheshire grin and shrugged.

"Nothing."

Patrick's glare intensified. "What. Is. So. Funny."

Rolling his eyes, Pete leaned across, giving Patrick a small kiss. "You are."

Patrick's glare softened a bit at the touch to his lips, but its full effect returned when he heard his answer. "And why ever am I so funny?"

Pete started down the road, holding up two fingers on one hand and keeping the other on the steering wheel. "Well, two things. One, I accomplished my mission; do you know why I was running?" Patrick's glare turned into a curious stare. "Why...?" "Well, it started to rain, right?" "Yes..." "And you know you have about zero sense of direction when it does-"

"I do not."

"-so I thought, maybe if I run off when the rain gets heavy, Patrick will definitely follow me because he'll never find his way back to the car alone in the rain, and since I'm a much faster runner than him-"

"You are not."

"-then he'll have to do something to keep up with me, and that something would be to hold my hand." "...That was your big accomplishment? To get me to hold your hand? I always do that." "Correction; my accomplishment was to get you to willingly show public affection." "...Pete, there wasn't even anyone in the-" "Shh. It still counts. It was in public. So there."

Patrick sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head on Pete's shoulder when they stopped and a red light. It sounded like a very far-fetched and unusual plan, something most people wouldn't think of, but Pete was Pete. It made Patrick feel special. "So, what was the second thing?" As they neared their street, Pete let a smirk slowly creep across his face. "I got you drenched."

Patrick shivered as Pete said those words. Why could any moment stay innocent? Patrick gulped. "A-And why is that a good thing?" "Because..." Pete trailed his fingers through Patrick's hair; without having to look, he knew it always had the same effect it always did anyway.

"You hate it." He said simply.

Patrick looked up into Pete's face, his own total deadpan. "Are you serious." Pete raised his eyebrows in defense. "What? You hate it, and I don't know why."

Patrick fidgeted, looking down at the hem of his sweater. "Um...well..." Pete looked down for a split second at Patrick in interest. "What is it?" Patrick's face flushed with embarrassment. "You wouldn't understand."

This was not something Pete liked to hear.

He pulled into their driveway and stopped the car, turning to look at Patrick fully, taking his hands in his own. "Patrick, tell me."

Patrick bit his lip. "Well...um...ok. There was a time that my mom made some really awesome pumpkin squares for me to bring to school - oh, this is stupid - on my birthday, right, so...I brought...them, and well, I was kind of being bullied - don't give me that look Pete, it's not that big of a deal - at school, and my bullies really liked pumpkin squares...um, well, I'm just going to say that it was raining and i...told them i didn't want to give the squares. So they stole my squares and shoved me outside. The doors locked automatically; I was stuck out there for two hours before some teacher came looking for me." Patrick shrugged. "I guess that's why...I don't really like getting wet in the rain. I like rain, I do, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed being in it since that happened."

Pete was staring hard at Patrick, his brown eyes piercing Patrick's own blue, making him very self-conscious. Pete opened his door and said nothing, taking the key out. He went around to the other side and opened the door for the bewildered Patrick, offering his hand; his expression was unreadable. Patrick took it slowly and Pete tugged him up and out, into the still pouring rain.

He pulled Patrick up the rest of the driveway to the front door, holding him against it with an arm around his waist and another on his cheek. Patrick was looking up at him with wide eyes, his own arms at his sides uselessly. Pete pressed his mouth to Patrick's, kissing him deeply. Patrick's eyes slipped closed, and he gave a little moan when he felt the tip of a tongue poking his lips for entrance. He obliged. Pete pulled his mouth away, resting his forehead against Patrick's, their breathing both slightly ragged. Patrick, with a haze over his eyes and in his voice, asked, "W...What was that for?"

"Uh..."

Pete averted his eyes as he attempted to explain himself in a way that wouldn't sound stupid. "Since I know why you hate being in the rain, I just thought...well, it would be a shame for you to hate getting wet, because...you're at your best in the rain. When you're all pissed about rain and looking distraught, you're so gorgeous I just want to-" Pete realized Patrick's face was turning red again and altered it a bit to get back to the point. "You seem happier in a way, even after the incident. I thought...if I could find a way to get you to hate it less, like replacing bad memories with good ones, it would at least help a bit..."

Pete trailed off, concluding that what he said made no sense. He was about the mentally murder himself when he felt to hands grab his cheeks and pull his lips back towards Patrick's. He reacted instantaneously, ready for a tongue war, his own twisting with the other's.

Patrick pulled back and pecked his lips, smiling at Pete's dazed expression.

"Wha-"

"I don't hate being in the rain anymore."

Pete grinned, congratulating himself for not screwing up. "So Mr. Stump, is there anything else I can help you with?" Patrick smiled and breathed a sigh into Pete's ear. "Well, Mr. Wentz, sir, I'm afraid of what's under the bed."

"I can help with that."

~Owari~

Hope you enjoyed; I realized as soon as I wrote it - actually, while I was writing it, I knew it would be complete crap. It was supposed to be a completely different story line. But whatever. Fluff, make out, Peterick, rain. You get what you get and you don't get upset.

Going to put up another chapter, but it's basically the same one, except with the story closer to what I wanted in the first place. So, it's darker and more emotional; read that one if you rather angst-like fiction.