The Do Over (Peterick)

nine.

The next morning, Patrick is up bright and early, still excited about last night and ready for baseball tryouts today. He's out of the shower and almost dressed before his mother even comes to his door to wake him up.

She gives him an odd look and takes a seat on his bed, watching as he finishes buttoning his short sleeved button-up. "You're up early." She comments, standing up to fix his collar for him.

"Thank you. I know." Patrick replies, turning back to the mirror to style his fluffy blonde mess of hair.

"I take it your date with that girl went well then?" She asks, helping him with his hair when he can't get it the way he wants and gives up.

"Oh, uh, yeah. She's great." He's not exactly lying about the date going well or Elisa being great, but he's not telling the truth either. His mother eyes him suspiciously as she steps back from him so he can look in the mirror.

"Thanks for fixing my hair. Can I drive to school?" Patrick asks, hoping she'll say yes. He only has his permit right now, since he's a freshman, but he vividly remembers taking driver's education courses the summer before freshman year in order to get his license his sixteenth birthday.

She looks at him with her motherly glare before sighing and giving in. "I guess so, but please be careful. I don't want you getting pulled over or getting hurt."

"Thanks, Mom. I promise I'll be careful." He presses a kiss to her forehead and walks towards the stairs before pausing and turning around. "I need to tell you something."

"Oh, god. Am I about to have to take away your driving privileges and ground you?" She asks, walking out of his room and closing the door. She crosses her arms as she waits for an answer.

"I. Shit, this is more difficult than I thought." He says, scratching the back of his neck.

"One, language. Two, you can tell me anything, honey. I'll always love you." She says, and that makes Patrick smile.

Coming out to everyone the first time was difficult enough, and doing it a second time isn't any easier. He takes a deep breath and rushes out, "The date with Elisa went well because I told her I was gay five minutes after I picked her up, and she told me she'd help me try to score a date with the guy I like."

Patricia stares at her son in shock, mouth open and eyes wide. Then, she immediately starts laughing. "Why did you ask Elisa on a date if you're gay, honey?"

"I wanted to get closer to Pete. He said that Elisa and I could double date with he and Ashlee if I asked her out." Patrick explains, glad she's taking it as well as she did the first time.

"Well, I'm sure Elisa wasn't the happiest about you using her to get closer to Pete, but I'm glad she was accepting. I would hate to have to deal with her." His mother says, and when he looks up, she's got that evil glint in her eye, the one that says, 'My husband is rich and powerful, and I won't hesitate to use that to my advantage.'

"Thanks for being so cool about all of this, Mom. I know it's probably really sudden, and you weren't expecting it." He's being honest now, using the exact things she had said the first time he came out.

However, she shakes her head, smiling at him. "Honey, I've always had a suspicion about your love of baseball. I figured pure interest in the sport wasn't the only reason you've played on four teams a year since you could walk."

He finds himself laughing and shaking his head, walking closer to her to give her a hug. "I love you. I'll see you after tryouts."

"Love you, too. Make sure you eat some of the breakfast Wendall cooked. I'm going back to sleep." With that, she heads back to the third level of their house, where she and Wendall's room and master bath are located.

Patrick walks downstairs with a newfound confidence, glad that his mother took things so well, even though he expected her too. Now, all he has to do is tell Wendall, who he can only hope will be more accepting than he was last time.

When Patrick first came out to Wendall, the older man wasn't so much disgusted as he was disappointed. Wendall has no children of his own, and he never got as close with Kevin or Megan as he did Patrick. He just wanted grandchildren he could be close to, and he figured he couldn't get those if Patrick was gay. He was proven wrong, however, when Patrick and Pete had Bear, whom Wendall and Patricia knew about long before Patrick himself did.

Patrick walks into the kitchen to find a plate of bacon and eggs set out next to where Wendall is already sitting at the bar. He takes a seat and a bite of his bacon before turning to face his stepfather.

"Dale, I need to tell you something." He says, and Wendall turns to face him, ready to offer advice if Patrick needs it.

"Okay, son, go on. I'm listening." Wendall says, and Patrick is actually enjoying Wendall calling him son this time. His own father never bothered enough to even talk to him, much less do the things that Wendall does for him.

"I'm gay." Patrick says simply, and Wendall just shrugs and turns back to his meal.

"Is that all?" Wendall asks, and Patrick simply nods. "Okay, be gay. I don't care. You're just going to have to give me a little time to do some research on gay sex before we have The Talk."

Patrick's eyes widen, and he wants to hit his head on the counter until he dies again. Wendall looks at his face and begins laughing.

"What? You thought being gay was going to get you out of hearing me drone on about the birds and the bees? Nope. Protection still matters even if one of you can't get pregnant." Wendall says, a smile on his face the whole time.

"Alright, my gayness and I are leaving for school." Patrick says, shaking his head. He takes a piece of bacon and his backpack and heads to the garage where the twelve cars they drive the most are parked.

He loves the fact that Wendall's rich simply because of the cars he owns. Collectively, he knows Wendall owns close to thirty cars. Patrick's not entirely sure where the other fifteen or so are located, but he can't be bothered with that right now.

Instead, he takes a set of keys off of the wall at random and hits the unlock button. The car that he picked at random happens to be the newest edition of the Toyota Four Runner.

He smiles to himself as he climbs into the garage and hits the open button to the stall the car is parked in. Patrick drives out and heads to Elisa's house, knowing that, on the way home, he'll have to take Joe and Ray home when they inevitably find out he's allowed to drive now.

woo hoo patrick came out to his parents !!!!