The Last of the Real Ones || a Patrick Stump AU ||

five

Patrick didn't sleep. He couldn't. His mind kept thinking about Nia. He thought of the way her hair smelled— like roses that one summer in fifth grade before he went to camp. Last night, it smelled like fresh lemons and sea salt. He thought about her laugh— how it progresses from a cute giggle to an audible, hearty sound; the way her eyes squint with her large grin.

Patrick thought about how her purple eyes change colors depending on her mood. Sometimes it's just how they look in the light. He thought about how they were a deep blue that swam on red, irritated canvases. Finally, he thought about her lips. They were the perfect shape in his definition. Her teeth were perfectly aligned behind her sealed lips. They always looked soft, plush even.

Patrick heaves a sigh, his chest rising, then collapsing with the exhale. He watches the sun crawl into his room— through the same portal he had escaped to comfort Nia at two in the morning. He didn't regret it. His stomach performs flips as it creates its own sensation. The same one he feels looking at a roller coaster. The only difference is that he doesn't feel like fainting. Not just yet, at least.

Patrick stands from his bed and begins to pace his room. Nothing can seem to get Nia out of his head. But would he want it any other way?

"You chose the wrong time to do this," he mumbles to himself. "She was just dumped by Tom! You gotta stop this!"

Patrick heaves another sigh as his mind only continues with the cycle of thoughts. It's all too much for him to handle. A part of his brain remains on Nia while the other part spirals into another bout of ponders.

"If she doesn't like you back, things are just going to get awkward," he tells himself. "You might as well stop now!"

Another round of thoughts swirl in his brain. He thinks about the way she sings slightly off key to the songs on the radio, but it still sounds so beautiful. Patrick had no other option but to accept his fate. And with that fate, he found warm tears streaming down his face. He curses under his breath and swipes at the liquid of emotions and blows a sigh.

"I guess you just have to talk to her," he says to himself. He takes the opportunity to freshen himself up before making his way to her house.

You can do this, Patrick reassures himself repeatedly. His heart continues to go into its tantrums while his stomach feels light and nauseated at the same time. His mind is no aid as it still stays on the things of Nia that only make Patrick fall more and more into a fascination of her.

Just as Patrick opens the door, he's greeted by surprised, wide eyes of violet. Nia puts her hand down, now seeing she does not need to knock to get the person she needed to see.

"Oh, uh, hey," Patrick stammers with a smile. "I was just about to go over and—"
"Can we talk?" Nia asks, interrupting the boy. It's Patrick's turn for his eyes to widen a little with shock. He swallows the lump in his throat and forces himself to nod.

"Yeah, what's up?" he manages to ask.
"I mean, can we talk in my car? We can drive around, go grab a bite? Go to Downtown? Whatever, y'know?"

She doesn't feel the same. She doesn't feel the same. She doesn't feel the same. Patrick's head goes into a masked frenzy, but he still maintains to keep a calm demeanor.

"Uh, sure. Sounds good," he says. He closes the door behind him as he exits the house and follows the girl to her car, the two of them getting in and driving off to whatever may interest them.

"We haven't talked in a while," Nia mentions. Patrick starts to pick at his callousing fingers. "I'm sorry about that. I hadn't really realized that ever since things went to Hell with... uh, with Tom."
"If you don't want to talk about him, you don't have to," the boy reassures. He looks up at Nia, making sure that his words do sink in for her and that she knows he means it. "I mean, it's still a fresh wound and all—"
"It's probably better that I do. Better out than in, y'know?" Nia halfway jokes. "Anyway, I was thinking about what happened last night."

Patrick grows tense, almost as if his body were slowly becoming stone. Nia is silent for a moment. Patrick studies her, waiting for her next words. She presses her lips into a line and exhales a sigh through her nose. Patrick knew that too well. It was the same face she made while they were in high school, and she went to him with a broken heart. She even made that exact face when she had found out her father let her down at her tenth birthday party. It simply was Nia trying to remain strong, not wanting anyone to see her in a vulnerable state that is crying.

The stone instantly dissolved from Patrick's muscles and he held onto her free hand. Tears rolled down Nia's face; she took her hand out of Patrick's grasp and swiped at the tears, sniffling to keep from crying again.

"Dammit," she chuckles sadly. A pang spreads through Patrick's chest at the image.
"Hey, pull over," he says, his voice soft and gentle.
"No, I'm fine, Trick," she rasps.
"No, you're not," he argues. "I know you. Even if I didn't know you, I would know you're not okay because you're crying. Pull over."
"I'm not cry—"
"Nia, please," Patrick begs. "Darling, just pull over."

The girl blows a sigh and forfeits, finding a sidewalk to park along. Nia turns the car off and lets the dam of tears break, Patrick only being the witness of her vulnerable state. He unbuckles his seatbelt and reaches over to embrace her.

"What were you thinking about last night?" Patrick mumbles into her wavy hair. He takes small inhales of the scent of lemon and sea salt. It energizes him but also scares him. It's almost like a roller coaster and he's somewhere stuck on the top, waiting for the big drop.

"I was just thinking about how I wasn't genuinely happy with him," Nia sniffles through tears. Some of the tears seep onto Patrick's shirt. "I guess I forced myself to be happy with him. But then I started thinking about someone else."
"Someone else?" Patrick asks. His heart is the one who takes the drop of the roller coaster. The rest of him has joined the missing shoes and loose items that have fallen from other passengers of the ride.

"Yeah. I-I kept trying to stop thinking about him, but it just got stronger and stronger," Nia continues, her voice becoming more raw and full of anger at herself. Patrick hushes her gently, stroking her hair. "It's like I set myself up."
"Well," Patrick begins, gathering strength to speak about such a topic that has given him lost hope instantly, "whoever this person is, if they make you truly happy, go for them."
"It's terrifying because what if he's just like the others?" she spits.
"Then you try again. And while you try again, I'll kick his ass for you."
"I don't think you can fight him, Buster," Nia chuckles weakly. She separates herself from the embrace as she swipes at the tears with the heels of her palms.

"Thanks, Patrick," she says. Patrick manages to give a smile, though he feels like broken glass on the inside.
"Anything for you, Alien Girl," he teases back.

That was what she never did understand about Patrick. He would do anything to see her smile. Even if it meant that he wasn't in the picture.

A/N:
Heeeeeyyyyy!!! Who do you think the other person is? ;) leave feedback!!

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