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

six

The two friends decided to find a place to eat, Patrick insisting that he pay the check. He knew Nia too well. He could tell she hadn't eaten much since what happened between her and Tom.

There wasn't much conversation between the two while Nia pushed at her food a little, taking small bites here and there.

"Hey," Patrick says gently, tapping his foot against her ankle. Nia looks up at him, her eyes still puffy from her episode of sadness in her car. He forces a small smile for her still and steals a piece of fruit from her plate. "It's gonna be okay. It's gonna get better."

Nia only shrugs and continues to push her food around her plate. Patrick steals another piece, a banana chunk this time.

"Quit it," Nia grumbles. She fails to shoo Patrick's hand away as he reaches to claim another piece of fruit.
"It's not like you're eating it, anyway," he laughs. "Eat up or I'm taking it all. You know I'm a sucker for grapes."
"I'm just not in the mood," she mumbles. Nia slouches in her chair and pushes the plate away from her, her attention fleeting to the streets of Downtown Chicago. Patrick glances over at the scenery, seeing that the skies are overcast and it may bring Illinois' summer rain. He looks over at Nia again, seeing the sadness take over her face again— this time in full. She was too defeated to hide it.

"Nia, what can I do to make you feel better?" Patrick asks, almost begging. He watches his companion, waiting for an answer. Instead, she swipes at an escaping tear. Patrick huffs and brings his gaze to Downtown again. He notices that Cloud Gate is only a couple of blocks away. An idea begins to brew in his mind.

Patrick takes his wallet out and puts cash on top of the check, letting the waiter keep the change as a tip. He stands from the table, now earning Nia's attention. He takes her hand and pulls her up to her feet.

"The sun is the biggest star in our solar system, right?" he asks.
"Yeah, why are y—"
"I want us to go stargazing. Like, tonight."

Nia blinks at the blonde boy, then furrows her brow, the way she always does when she is puzzled.
"Dude, it's cloudy. It's going to rain, Patrick," she responds. "Are you crazy?"
"Maybe," he smiles. Patrick holds Nia's hand a little tighter before he rushes out the restaurant with her, the girl stumbling behind him in confusion.

The clouds grow heavier and darker above them as the two run, one with a destination in mind while the other remains clueless. Cloud Gate isn't crowded with tourists due to the weather. Once the friends reach the sculpture, the clouds release the rain, it pouring down rather than slowly introducing itself to the earth and the civilians on it.

Nia glares at Patrick, his smile instantly fading.
"I have a point," he justifies. "I swear!"
"You've seriously gone crazy, Buster," she chuckles. Patrick looks around the damp city, seeing the building lights illuminate. He guides Nia around the reflective bean and points at the reflection.

"That!" he exclaims. Nia watches the distorted reflections of the buildings behind them, their windows glowing with florescent lights. "I know it's not the stars, but I still wanted to show you something like them."
"So, this is your own galaxy?" Nia asks, studying the squares dissolve and twist into smaller dots. She fixates her attention on Patrick's reflection. He nods.

"You get a better effect under the arch," he says. He leads Nia there, sharing the small space with her and watching her become mesmerized with the lights of the city they both grew up in.

"Also, it's a little drier here. Maybe if the rain lets up a little we can go back and—"
"You talk a lot," Nia interrupts, her eyes still wandering to still and passing lights.
"Sorry," Patrick says.
"No, it's fine," she smiles. "It's cute."

Patrick blushes at the comment, his face and hands warming up at the comment. He leans his back against the structure, watching Nia absorb his makeshift galaxy. He was falling, but this time he had accepted it and let it happen. His heart beats a little faster but there's nothing he can do except let it happen. He was in love. He was certain of it.

If the city lights of Chicago were the stars, he was the minuscule planets. Nia was the Sun. A violet sun that had the planets revolving and orbiting around her. Patrick smiles at the girl, glad to finally see her smile again. He'd burn the city down if it meant she would only give a ghost of a smile.

Nia looks over at Patrick, noticing his gaze. She chuckles and shrinks the gap between them.
"Whatcha thinking about, Trick? Ghostbustin'?" she teases.
"Looks like a certain Martian is feeling better," he vexes back with a smirk. Nia giggles at the comment, not knowing what that laugh did to Patrick. His heartbeat picked up a faster pace. Nia shrinks the gap again.

"How are you so warm?" The violet-eyed girl laughs. Patrick shrugs with a chuckle, the smile still remaining on his lips.
"I've always been that way," he says. Nia wraps her arms around his torso and latches onto him. Patrick looks down at her, shocked at first, then cocoons her in his embrace. Nia heaves a sigh of satisfaction, making Patrick laugh again.

"Why didn't you bring a jacket?" he asks.
"Why didn't you bring a jacket?" Nia snickers.
"Touché."

It's silent between the friends, the roar of the rain being the only thing that echoes through the city. Patrick watches Nia find comfort in his warmth. Her wavy hair is damp and clings to her clothes and face. She smells more like the rain, a calming scent to Patrick. However, that doesn't soothe his inconsistent heartbeat. Nia tilts her head up, gazing at Patrick just like she had the night he had comforted her by the lake. He felt like the dusk sky, something almost as minute as the planets he claimed to be. But Nia adored the planets— far away or close by. He studies her, gazing in her purple eyes. He witnesses the many galaxies she had studied in them, a flurry of stars bottled in the windows he stares into. Patrick notices her eyes fleet between his and his lips.

She's in a vulnerable state, he reminds himself. He tears himself away from the embrace and notices that the rain did lighten up since the time they reached Cloud Gate.

"We should head back," he says. Nia manages to pull herself out of her hypnosis and nods as she steps away from Patrick.
"Yeah," she says awkwardly.

The two friends walk back to the car and start their path back home.

The drive is quiet. The radio is off and Patrick is left with nothing to say. If he says anything, he knows it will only end with more awkward tension. That's exactly what the two do not need more of. He looks down at his hands, craving for the sensation of Nia's hand embracing it. The vents of the car start to blow warm air. Patrick looks up, seeing Nia's hand retract from the dial that had turned on the heat.

"Thought you might be cold," she says. Patrick hadn't realized it until she mentioned it. He nods and brings his attention back to his hands.

"Yeah. Thanks," he mumbles sheepishly. After a moment she stops the car, Patrick's house being beside it.

"Thanks for helping me out," Nia says softly. Patrick only nods. Nia brushes her hand on his shoulder, gaining Patrick's attention. Just as he looks up at her, she leans in and presses her lips against his. Patrick hardly has time to reel it all in; all he knows is that it's in the moment. He starts to kiss her back but Nia pulls away, a grimace on her face.

"Dammit," she grumbles as she leans back in her seat. She covers her eyes with a hand, her cheeks burning red. Patrick is speechless, confused. He opens his mouth, forcing himself to say something— anything!

"I-I'm sorry," he stammers. It's not his fault. He knows that. But he feels worse for wanting more of it. Nia gives a dejected chuckle before she presses her lips into a line again, sighing.

"Fuck, I am so sorry, Nia—"
"It's not your fault," she rasps. She looks over at Patrick, the stars in her eyes now collapsing and dying, drowning in her tears. She still forces a smile before speaking. "Dammit, I-I'm so sorry. Just go inside, alright?"

He nods, not saying another word, and does as he is told. He closes the door behind him and kicks his soaked shoes off along with his socks. He leans against the door, his fingers brushing where the stars had kissed him. He felt a new galaxy forming on his lips, but his heart felt like a black hole.

A/N:
AAAAAAND I updated it again! Tell me what you think!! :)

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