THANK YOU VOGUE
RIDING A SCOOTER DOWN A STREET WITH MIKE FAIST WOULD FIX ME ššššš
patrick zweig listens to the 1975 and identifies so fucking hard with matty healy. dont make the rules
genuinely, how do you write smut??? i feel so stupid. this is why i stick to fluff and angst. this is hard šš
possibly a hot take(?) on zendaya in nolan's the odyssey:
as a really big greek/roman mythology nerd: i don't think that zendaya (supposedly) playing athena is a great idea. not because she doesn't have the acting capability or she doesn't look that part or that she's in too many movies (which is a really dumb reason in my opinion). i don't think it's a good idea because tom holland is playing telemachus (odysseus's son). athena acts a motherly guidance/figure to telemachus, navigates his journey to adulthood, mentors him, and inspires him. with zendaya and tom being together, i don't think that that's going to translate to the screen that well.
i really hope that that's a rumor because as much as that movie is going to be a complete disaster (inaccuracy issues), i think this will be another factor that'll add on that. i'd MUCH RATHER prefer zendaya to play someone else, maybe circe??? i love z but no thank you.
(I COULD BE COMPLETELY WRONG ABOUT THIS AND IT COULD BE REALLY GREAT!! JUST MY THOUGHTS CURRENTLY)
death with no dignity; patrick zweig
ā amethyst and flowers on the table
is it real or a fable ?
well, i suppose, a friend is a friend
and we all know how this will end ā - sufjan stevens
cw (18+) : mentions of depressive symptoms, masturbation, and heavy yearning.
wc : 1.9 k
When Patrick was eighteen, he killed a doe.Ā
It was an accident, it truly was, in every sense of the word.Ā
He had been driving home from Artās house around 11 PM and had been playing some stupid song on the radio. Heād thrashed his head and slapped his palms against the leather steering wheel to the stupid beat, carefree and unassuming. It had been so dark, and he was distracted, and then suddenly the deer was in the center of the road. Big, black, shiny eyes and pointed ears and a deep brown coat. She was beautiful. For the split moment that he had before the impact, thatās all he could think about.Ā
He didnāt have enough time to swerve and avoid her because heād been speeding, and everything afterwards happened in slow-motion. The skidding squeal of his tires against the asphalt. His heart lurching in his ribcage, almost enough to make him feel sick. The harsh jolt of the car and the brutal sound of metal hitting muscle, followed by the animal being sent hurtling a few feet forward and onto her side, accompanied by the painful sting of the seatbelt digging into his chest. When the car finally came to a stop, Patrick froze. His hands stuck to the wheel, shaking, and his eyes were peeled open wide as he stared through the windshield at the lifeless creature heād just hit with his car. He was practically panting. He didnāt quite recall ever being so scared in his entire life, not even when heād played his first professional match. Not even when heād nearly drowned one summer years ago when he and Art were swimming in a lake upstate.Ā
Heād never killed anything before. Not like that.Ā
The aftermath was a blur. He almost called the cops to let them know that there was a large, dead animal in the road on so-and-so street, but he didnāt. To this day, he doesnāt really know why. Maybe it was all of the adrenaline. Maybe it was all of the guilt. Regardless, heād mumbled a soft, āOh, god, Iām sorry,ā and then slowly pulled off and around it. He never told his parents, or anyone for that matter, that he had cried so hard on the rest of the drive home that he felt lightheaded by the time he was in the driveway.Ā
Mommy and Daddy Zweig offeredāno, beggedāto get him a new car the next evening (when they got back from Greece) because his hood and bumper were horribly dented, but Patrick had refused. Heād laughed off the incident in front of them, and then waited until they went to bed to slink into their massive garage and pick all of the little tufts of fur out of the vehicleās grille.
Heād traced his fingertips along the indentations and the scratches in the paint and blinked away the wetness clouding his vision. Tried to mentally retrace his steps that night, too. What if he hadnāt been listening to that stupid song? What if he hadnāt left his best friendās place so late? What if heād been quicker? Smarter? Luckier?Ā
Could things be different? Could he have spared a life?Ā
Could he have spared the victim, and himself, the pain?
Patrickās twenty-one now, and he does a lot of retracing his steps these days.
Tennis is his priority; heās always on the court, or in a car or a bus thatās traveling to a court of some kind. Forehands, backhands, volleying, serving, smashesāitās all he lives and breathes. And, of course, itās easier now to focus on tennis when he no longer has friends.Ā
Art and him haven't talked in many months (has it really been years?), not since Tashiās knee had gotten injured during that match at Stanford.Ā
Fuck that fucking match. And fuck them.Ā
He didnāt need them, he was doing just fine on his own.Ā
If his best friend of over a decade wanted to kick him to the curb like he was nothing more than a dog that had bitten him a smidge-too-hard to be loved, then whatever. If his grotesquely-talented girlfriend wanted to break up with him because he didnāt want to be treated like a lesser athlete nor sit in her shadow, then fine. Heād enjoy his tennis career and roll freely in the expendable income he was sure to continue collecting.
But thatās not really who Patrick is.Ā
And so he canāt help but lie awake at night, trying to pin-point where things went wrongāwhat he could have done to prevent this outcomeāand tracing the indentations and scratches in his relationships that surely were only indicative of his faults. Compulsively picking at the tufts nestled in the wreckage. Eyeing the bloody brutalization, punishing himself by reliving the sting.
Sometimes he drags his fingertips over some of his old, banged-up rackets that he can't bear to get rid of, and he thinks about all of it. Tennis academy days with the shy, funny blonde kid that he became close with from day one. Learning and teaching and discussing with him all of the typical adolescent lessons that gave way to life outside of the bubble. Doubles matchesāso many doubles matches. So many wins. First beers, first girlfriends, first cigarettes, first kisses. They shared everything with one another and they (almost neurotically) timed their experiences to happen around the same time so that they'd be able to talk to each other about them afterwards. As they got a bit older though, Patrick began to realize that he was feeling things for Art that he probably wasnāt supposed to tell him about. And he usually told Art everything.
That was his first mistake, he thinks, like when he hadnāt heeded the speed limit that night. Or, maybe, that was like playing the stupid song on the radio and going home late. It was the start of their untimely end.Ā
When heās in one of his usual depressive spirals, the kind in which he canāt seem to find his appetite and he forgets to shower and he ignores his managerās texts, he argues with himself about what exactly could be considered the āimpactā. Was it when he had cheekily served like Art during that one casual training session, ball to the neck of the racket, confirming that he had slept with Tashi and thus beginning the festering of that awful jealousy in his friend? Or was it when he praised her in front of Art before her match in the singles tournament that fateful afternoon, igniting his friend's interest? Patrick remembers the look that glossed over Artās eyes when he first caught sight of her; he had looked at her and suddenly Patrick felt like heād been forgottenālike heād melted into those bleachers and disappeared. He canāt really blame him, Tashi was talented and beautiful and ambitious and confident and matureāshe was everything that Art steadfastly admired in a person. She was twice the person that Patrick had been back then.
Usually though, he comes to the painful conclusion that the impact was certainly the day of the Stanford match. More specifically, it was when Art had yelled at him for the first time in the entirety of their friendship.Ā
āPatrick, get the fuck out!āĀ
Those four words ring through his head on the worst of days.
He knew heād fucked up by not pushing aside his pride and going to support Tashi after their fight, so he could pretty easily swallow down the discomfort that came with being yelled at by her. They yelled at each other pretty often when they got into their little spats, it was relatively normal. But god.. It was so much different when it was him. Patrick's muscles had locked up; he was shaking and breathing hard like heād just run a marathon, able to see nothing but that pair of angry, familiar eyes. The vitriol that came spurting from the blondeās mouth was like the worst toxin heād ever known. It paralyzed him and began to rot his insides from that very moment on. And then all of the suffocating memories came flooding back as he turned and walked out of that campus health center.Ā
Giggling under blankets with a flashlight, reading comics until the sun started to come up. Practicing for hours on the courts at the academy, sometimes until they both got sunburns and heatstroke. Sleeping in the same bed on summer nights at Patrickās houseātiredly watching the way Artās chest rose and fell with each of his breaths and trying not to look at his lips. Holding each other when Artās parents got divorced and he cried so hard that he got a nosebleed. Bandaging each otherās blisters. Wearing each otherās clothes. Having each other's back.
He doesnāt understand what he did to truly deserve being treated like that in the end by Art.
Heād been a good decent friend, hadnāt he?Ā
How could Artās infatuation with her be enough to snuff out everything that they built together? It was supposed to be the two of them for the rest of their lives. Sure, they could each get married, pursue a career, have kids, but at the end of the day it was always meant to be them, wasn't it? Fire and Ice? Did he get that part wrong?
He habitually questions how much he really meant to him.
When Patrick does muster up the strength to drag himself to the shower, he generally stays in there for at least an hour. āWaste of waterā be damned. He closes his eyes and lets the warmth run over his hair and his naked body. He presses his back to the cold shower wall and rubs his eyes until he sees white flashes dancing in the darkness. Itās not uncommon for his mind to wander back to you-know-who. In fact, thatās whoās usually on his mind whenever heās not trying harder to forget. And itās easy for Patrick to fixate on those blurry white flashes and suddenly see yellow curls, bright blue irises, deep smile lines, flushed cheeks. Breath smelling of that peppermint gum he always chewed. The sound of his nervous laughter and joyous cheers. Patrick would know him even if all of his senses were somehow dulled or taken from him. He would know Art by theĀ feel of his soul breathing life into his own. He would know him, surely.
And maybe itās an act of pure filth and desperation, or one of flesh-tearing grief, but many times Patrick winds up touching himself. Slow, steady, tenderāthe way he assumes Art touches Tashi. The way he had always wanted to touch Art, though he never even gathered the courage to try to hold his hand. He thumbs his weeping slit and keens as he feels the sadness and arousal roiling in his gut. He chokes on little moans that sound like sobs that sound like screams. Heās starved. How is it possible to miss someone when theyāre everywhere? He thinks itās funny that heās forgotten what Artās speaking voice sounds like but also refuses to watch any of his latest interviews on TV. He doesnāt want to see if thereās a ring on his finger, and he certainly doesnāt want to think about all of the ways Tashi gets to keep him as her own. He was mine, he unfairly thinks as he strokes himself under the scalding water, he was mine and I loved him and you lured him in and then he was gone.
The orgasm usually comes quick, spurred on by the near-lethal dose of petulant thought. He feels his thighs tremble and then his hand starts to lose its rhythm and then heās crying out as he comes hard over his curled fingers. Sticky, clotted, putrid evidence of his lack of control. When he finally opens his eyes again, salt spills down his ruddy skin from wet lashes. He gets dizzy from the heat and the steam, he feels like heās choking on all of it. He brings his dirtied hand under the showerhead and watches as his mess is rinsed away, down the drain in a gurgling spiral. It takes everything in him not to collapse.
āOh, god, Iām sorry,ā he whispers, before he forces himself out of the bathroom and collapses in a wet heap over his bed. His skin sticks to the sheets and makes him feel like some sort of dirty, beastly thing that crawls out of swamps and swallows up all of the good it can touch.Ā He figures that the feeling is not far off from the truth.
When Patrick was eighteen, he killed a doe.Ā
And that doe followed him for the rest of his life.
note : to anyone who's ever had a childhood crush on their best friend. to anyone struggling with the grief.
This was intentionally written to be a bit "all over the place"; I wanted to show how scattered Patrick's thoughts can be. Also I love, love, love Tashi, I just think Patrick maybe sometimes (early on, before they reconnected) blamed her for his and Art's split for unjust reasons.
tags : @venusaurusrexx @tashism @grimsonandclover @diyasgarden @weirdfishesthoughts @gibsongirrl @newrochellechallenger2019 @jordiemeow @artstennisracket @cha11engers ā”
Greedy
NSFW!
The diner is loud, the chatter and clinking of silverware against plates. The neon sign outside flickers against the windows, casting a glow over Artās face as he takes a slow sip of his milkshake, eyes locked on you.
āSee?ā he says, licking a stray drop of vanilla from his thumb. āTold you these were the best in town.ā
You laugh, stirring yours with the straw. āI donāt know if they live up to all the hype.ā
Art smirks. āYouāre saying that so Iāll keep trying to convince you?ā
You shake your head, but the way he looks at youālike youāre the only thing worth paying attention to in this entire placeāmakes your stomach flip. Itās dangerous, the way he makes you feel. Like this is normal. Like this isnāt something youāll have to lie about when you go home.
By the time you leave the diner, the air outside is cool, the pavement damp from an earlier drizzle. You follow him to his car, his hand grazing the small of your back as you walk. Itās nothing, barely a touch, but it makes your breath catch.
Then, just as he unlocks the door, you hesitate.
Art notices. āWhat?ā
You shake your head. āNothing.ā
But itās not nothing. Itās everything. Itās the way his fingers brushed against yours when he paid for your food. Itās the way he leaned in closer than necessary to hear you over the diner noise. Itās the way your heart pounds every time he looks at you like that.
And thenālike he can hear every thought in your headāhe steps closer.
You donāt know who moves first, only that one second youāre staring at his lips, and the next, youāre kissing him like you wonāt get another chance. His back hits the car door, his hands sliding up your waist, pulling you in. The kiss is messy, mindless, teeth and tongues and a little too much need.
His fingers tighten at your hips. āGet in,ā he murmurs against your lips, voice rough.
You do and your memories start to mix-
āCome on, come on, like that, keep it up,ā
āDonāt stop, keep moving,ā you ran to not miss the ball, it all sounds to similar nowā
āThatās it, keep moving,ā now you try to move faster.
āCome on, youāre a champ, give me another one,ā sweat dripped down your forehead, a twist of your hand and SMACK!
āOne more, mhm, I know, just give me one more,ā you sweat now too, you let yourself fall down andāSMACK!
God, you almost knock his breath away with that one.
āShit, just like that!ā the way he smiled and ran to hug you.
āShitā just like that...ā he readjusts your hips.
Itās like... he was talking to you about tennis, was everything about tennis?
His hands are on your waist, and you feel like youāre going to collapse at any moment. Everything feels so tightāhis cologne makes you dizzy, and the streetlamp light barely reflects in the rearview mirror.
His hands go to your back, reaching for the clasp of your bra. āSorry... can I?,ā. You almost laugh, he has you riding his dick in the backseat of his car and still asks your permission to take off the only garment that supports your little dignity.
āYes...ā you hold on to his shoulders, he peels off the bra from you. He looks down and immediately gives them a light squeeze, making you release air that you didnāt know you were holding.
āFuckā youāre pretty...ā He looks into your eyes, and you finally feel naked, your insides clenching at his words. Itās as if he can read your thoughts, how much youāve dreamed of him like this.
You kiss him to get rid of your thoughts. He sighs and keeps moving you. He kisses down your neck, through the middle of your throat, in the middle of your clavicles, tracing the parallel with his tongue before going down to kiss the mole right next to your nipple. Kissing his way to the other to kiss now only your nipple.
His hot sighs on your wet skin make your skin bristle, and you canāt hold back a moan.
He smiles and soon you erase the smile from his silly face, stamping your hips. Being a double-edged sword since you now feel full.
Right there... there it is.
He seems to notice and lifts his hips. āThere it is...ā he moves you a little, āyeah...ā his moans echo on your thoughts. Eyebrows furrowed as he watches himself going in and out of you.
His expression has you in a trance, wanting to see more changes in his handsome face. He tilts his head back while you accelerate the movement with the help of his hands.
You canāt resist and kiss his neck, over and over, until you reach his lips. He moans even more because of the increased speed.
āArtāā you moan his name, your breath constant on his cupidās bow.
God he sounds so good.
He squeezes your ass when you do it, kissing you gently while he feels like exploding, which he doesnāt take long to. He cums inside the condom with a groan and before you can protest a last thrust has you gasping for air and holding his shoulders tighter.
āGod...ā Art groans, his head tilted back against the seat, chest rising and falling as he catches his breath. His hands, warm and strong, stay on your hips for just a second longer before they slip away.
The car is thick with heat, the windows fogged, the scent of sweat and him wrapping around you. You shift, legs shaky, reaching for your bra, but Art beats you to it. He holds it up with a smirk, letting the straps dangle from his fingers.
āYouāre real proud of yourself, huh?ā you say, voice hoarse.
His smirk deepens. āMaybe.ā His fingers hooking onto the strap first. āLet me.ā
The buzz of your phone cuts through the moment. You check it.
<<Mom: Where are you?>>
Your stomach clenches. You wipe your thumb against your damp skin before typing back, <<Still at school. Be home soon.>>
The lie comes easy now. Too easy.
Art is already pulling his shirt on, checking the time on his dashboard. āI should get you home,ā he says, and even though you know heās right, part of you doesnāt want this night to end.
The drive is quiet except for the sound of the engine, the occasional hum from him as he taps his fingers against the wheel. When he pulls up a block away from your house, he puts the car in park but doesnāt unlock the doors just yet.
You hesitate, not reaching for the handle right away. Art watches you, like he knows what youāre thinking.
Then, with that same cocky ease, he tilts his head, grinning. āTold you the milkshakes were good.ā
You scoff. āYeah. Totally the highlight of the night.ā
He chuckles, low and knowing, then leans in. His hand slides up your thigh, stopping just before your knee, and he presses a slow, lingering kiss to your lips. Itās softer than you expect. Less teasing, more something else. Something youāre too scared to name.
When he pulls back, he taps your knee once, like a silent go on, before you change your mind.
You swallow and reach for the handle. The cold air bites at your skin the second you step out. As you walk up the street to your house, you can still feel his lips on yours, his touch seared into your skin.
You donāt look back. Because if you do you might kiss him again.
Thinking about art who grew up in the church choir or used to be a theatre kid
patrick bullies him mercilessly for it and hes screaming when he finds out that when he goes back to his home town on break from his tours, no matter how old or famous he gets, art still participates in the local theatre/panto, ...he might have grown out of it but he does it for his grandma.
Patrick secretly buys tickets because he needs to witness this
AWWWWW baby š„ŗš„ŗš„ŗ
When he goes home with art one time (he got caught cheating on one of his exams and his parents didnāt let him come home for their spring break skiing trip), Artās grandma shows off all of the pictures of baby Art in his choir concerts and theatre productions š„ŗ all the way back to a 6 year old art playing a wise man in a church nativity play. And then heās flipping through and thereās little Art the summer before MRTA with whiskers and a lion costume in a production of the wizard of ozā¦. ANGEL!!!
And ofc there are shitty vhs tapes of all of it and Art is beet red with his face hidden in his shirt while Patrick watches him sing show tunes and hymns for hours.
A/N: Soā¦Patrickās sister, this was supposed to be shorter but I uhā¦I got carried away, enjoy anyway!! <33
As patricks sister, you always understood the dynamic; Patrick is the overprotective annoying older brother and you are the nerdyāhe saysā younger sister.
So obviously, growing up with him was an interesting experience to say the least.
Before going to MRTA, heād usually bring his friends over after school, and of course you being the pretty little thing you are, theyād always joke around about how Patrickās sister was hot, (literally average twelve year old when they see any female) and well Patrick, Patrick was pissed, so this is when the golden ruleāhe calls itā came in.
Patrickās sister is off-limits.
Which eventually stopped being a big deal when he left for MRTA, since youād only see him for holidays and breaks, and you didnāt really get to meet any of his friends.
Then Art comes into Patrickās life; Bunkmates since they were twelve, both in their first year away from home.
For the first summer break, Patrick left to go to your familyās lake house with you and your parents, and Art went back home to visit his nana, he knew his parents would most likely be away workingāas per usual.
But he actually finds out that his nana had already been sent to a retirement home 15 minutes out of his home town, so he visited every couple of days during that summer even though his nana kept telling him, āArtie, you donāt have to visit an antique like me, go be a kid, enjoy your summerā however he insisted in staying around her to keep company.
So when they get back, Patrick āloud mouthā Zweig rants to Art about his summer, and Art simply nods thinking about how heād most likely stay in the academy next summer, not like he had much to go back to at home.
Fast forward a couple of months, itās Christmas; Art is helping Patrick pack last minute when thereās a knock at the door, then they hear a feminine voice.
āCome on dickwad, mom and dad are waiting in the carā
Patrick groaned as he started to shove his things into his bag, then looking back at art as he folded some of Patrickās shirts.
āHey, Donaldson, mind getting the door? Itās my fuck ass sisterā he said casually as he grabbed the shirts from Art.
āSureā Art mumbled not thinking much, only trying to imagine a female Patrick behind the door, seeing as heās never met you, so there he goes, he opens the door and findsānot a female Patrickā but the prettiest girl heād seen just standings there in the most angelic way.
āHeyā¦?ā
āArt, itās uhā my name is Artā heās stumbling over his own words in the stupidest way possible.
āWhat kind of name is Art? Are you like an Arthur or something?ā He cringes internally but before he can answer Patrick pushes past him.
āItās just Art, leave him alone, heās my best friend, only I can make fun of him, find one yourself, kidā Patrick speaks as he walks out the door with his things then turns to Art, āgoing home for Christmas, Donny?ā
Art despised that nickname, the tips of his ears went red as his whole face flushed, but he shook his head.
āMy parents said they wonāt be able to make for Christmas and Iā I donāt want to worry my nana soā¦ā he said shyly and a bit disappointed but, they were the same parents that had forgotten his birthday a year ago and days later brought a cake that said āhappy 14th birthdayā when he was turning 12.
āAweā¦that sucks man, Iāll talk to my parents, you can tag along with us to our lake house next summerā
And thatās how the tradition all started, every summer, Art would spend it with Patrickās parents, you and Patrick at the lake house, which gave him enough time to catch a little something his nana called a Lovebug, essentially, his was crushing hard.
But of course, there was the golden ruleā totally off-limits.
And Art wasā¦fine with it, itās not like youād ever like him back, he was probably just āPatrickās quiet best friendā to you.
Little did he knowā¦
Then fast forward a couple years later, coincidentally, you would also be going to Stanford without actually knowing Art had already been there for a year.
And Stanford was full of frat parties, Halloween costume parties and in general, any party within a 10 mile radius.
And you, pretty little freshman had been invited to a frat party by one of the juniors in your econ class, and I mean, you canāt be rude, right? You have to go.
So, you do.
You wind up in a frat house with a shit ton of people, some cigarette smoke and, a whole bunch of red disposable cups, so why not grab one, whatās the worst thing it could have in it, beer probably?
Wrong.
Something that to you tasted exactly what rubbing alcohol smelled like, so it goes straight from the cup to your mouth then back to the cup as you cringe letting out a single dry cough.
āYou alright there?ā A gentle voice popped up from behind you, familiar but you couldnāt quite tell, but as you turn there he is; Art fucking Donaldson. With a backwards red Stanford cap and a grey Stanford hoodie.
Oh.
āOhā Artā¦heyā you chuckle softly still smelling the mysterious alcohol from your mouth.
āThis isnāt quite your scene, huh?ā He spoke as he took a sip from his cup with that goddamn side smirk of his.
āYeahā no, I mean, Iāve been to parties, fun, fun parties. And this, this is so my sceneā you rambled nervously, it was already embarrassing enough you, a freshman was at a frat party with a pretty floral skirt and a crochet sweater.
āReally? Ohā¦then have fun, fun girlā he laughed as he lifted his cup a bit towards you to then walk away.
Fuck it. You were gonna get wasted.
And so, that you did; Somehow ending up in just a soaked tank top, a soaked skirt, hair dripping water and, squeaky wet shoes as you stumbled out of the pool from the backyard.
āHey, watch itāā Art turned as he felt your body bump against his, āoh itās you, fun girl.ā He giggled as he saw you, clearly too drunk to even know what was going on, and he couldāve just laugh it off and get back to the party, but Art wasnāt like that, and specially not to you, youāre such a pretty little thing all wasted and soaked past midnight, plus, you were Patrickās sister. He had to.
So he said his goodbyes and grabbed you as you both walked out of the frat to go back to campus.
āSo tell me, miss Zweig, how does one, as drunk as you, not drown in a pool?ā He said as he saw you hold onto his arm for dear life trying not to trip, which might have just dug up something he had buried years ago.
āYāknow, im fun, and this is so my peopleā you said looking up at himājust barelyā as you let out a hiccup.
He blushed as he heard it, clearly it was your first time getting drunk drunk, adding on to the wet hair and your shivering body,
āRight, fun girl, my badā he chuckled ācome on youāre shivering, hereā he pulled his hoodie off as he handed it to you, ācanāt let you catch a cold, how else will you go to your next party, miss fun girlā
āThank you, Artie.ā You said as you grabbed the hoodie sliding it over your head feeling the warmth it carried from Arts body, accompanied by the faint smell of his cologne.
Meanwhile, Art was feeling like his spine had just been ripped out; Artie.
You hadnāt called him that since the summers at the lake house, where he had attempted and failed to forget his crush on you.
āYeahā I uhā¦yeahā he blushed even harder as he fumbled his words not knowing how to react.
You just shut your eyes and breathed in the scent of his cologne to then open them up, there you were, doe eyed looking at him, in his hoodie, hair soaked as you unconsciously made it harder for him to be a good friend to Patrick, he felt horrible.
Not only did the disgusting thought of wanting to fuck you against his jeep popped into his head, this is Patrickās sister heās fantasizing about.
āCome onā I uh, I gotta get you back on campusā he cleared his throat as he looked away avoiding your stare.
āYouāre no fun anymore, Artieā¦ā a pout made itself present as you took a step closer, your hands landing on his shoulders, ācome on, Donnyā¦ā
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
āPatrick would kill me, you know that.ā
āI wonāt tellā
He wasnāt proud of himself for turning back to look at you, but you were just so pretty, lucky he didnāt have a boner, if he hadnāt given you the hoodie to cover your very visible nipples against the tank top, heād probably have you bent over his cars hood.
āI reallyā I canātā¦ā he mumbled, his face inches away from yours, noses brushing against each other.
āYou sure?ā You whispered as you stared down at his lips, ānot just this once?ā
āFuckā¦ā he muttered under his breath, wellā¦there goes his willpower, he was in too deep already.
Next thing he knows, youāre riding him in the backseat of his car, all flushed, tits out, him whimpering as he dug his fingers into your hips holding on for dear life throwing his head back, and windows all fogged up.
Yeah, he was so screwed.
He will most definitely be breaking the golden rule forā¦well, letās just say itās not a one time thing.
warnings: semi-explicit sexual content (dry humping, clothed orgasms, grinding, heavy making out, public risk of being caught), sexual tension in a workplace/camp setting, emotionally intense relationship, themes of longing, emotional repression, fear of abandonment, bittersweet separation, post-summer heartbreak, crying during/after intimacy, and unresolved romantic angst.
tags: @destinedtobegigi, @bambiangels, @pittsick, @talsorchard, @angeldoll1e, @itachisank, @tennisprincess, @lexiiscorect, @esotericgirlwannabe, @lovefaist, @won-every-lottery, @zionna
notes: hi lovelies! if youād like to see more of camp counselor!patrick, iāve created a c.ai bot of him (which actually inspired the making of these headcanons, fun fact). you can talk to him here :)
ā” patrick kissed you for the first time in the craft shed, mid-storm, with your walkies hissing static in the background and the kids finally asleep in their sleeping bags like fragile bombs. it was supposed to be a quick, stupid thingājust to get the tension out. you grabbed his shirt. he pressed you against the wall like heād been waiting weeks for permission. his hands didnāt even move at first, just held your face like he needed to memorize it. you kissed like you hated each other for how badly you wanted it. and when he pulled back, breathing hard, he whispered āyouāre killinā me, you know that?ā and you hated how soft it made you feel. like maybe you wanted to kill him. or maybe you didnāt want anyone else touching you like that ever again.
ā” you never fully fuck. the risk is too high. the kids are too close. your jobs matter too much. but that just makes everything worseāor maybe better. itās all breathless makeouts in dark corners of the mess hall. his hand up your camp shirt during movie night in the rec lodge. dry humping behind the canoe racks while youāre both supposed to be organizing life jackets. he gets off on how quiet you try to beāhis hand over your mouth, his teeth grazing your shoulder, both of you rocking together in the dark like you might combust if you stopped. sometimes you come just from grinding, from the thick press of him between your legs and the frantic rhythm and the way he tells you āfuck, youāre shakingāiāve got you, youāre okay, keep going.ā itās obscene how good he is at making it feel like enough.
ā” patrick isnāt supposed to like you. not someone who lives by laminated schedules and has a spreadsheet for sunscreen reapplication. but god, heās addicted to you. you make the whole camp run like a machine and still find time to tie friendship bracelets with your girls before bed, or sneak extra marshmallows to the picky eater in your cabin. he watches you from across the field like a boy in love with the sun. sits with his first-graders during campfire night but only half-listens, eyes flicking to you as you shush your cabin, tuck stray curls behind your ears, bite your lip when someone sings off-key. youāre so put-together. so in control. and he wants to ruin that. wants to hear your breath hitch when he kisses your neck behind the arts building. wants to see your clipboard hit the ground because his handās down your shorts again. wants you to lose controlāfor him.
ā” it starts as lust. of course it does. you roll your eyes at his jokes and mutter under your breath when heās late to flagpole duty againābut every argument ends with him leaning in too close, smirking like he knows. and maybe he does. the way you start lingering near his cabin at night. the way you wear his hoodie one day āby accidentā and donāt give it back. but somewhere between shared debriefs and early-morning setup shifts, it shifts. he starts bringing you snacks. starts leaving notes in your fanny pack like: you forgot your smile. i found it. -p or i stole you a popsicle. come find me. and you do. every time. itās not just adrenaline anymore. itās affection. familiarity. you start to know each otherās footsteps. moods. soft spots. he lets you see his softness without irony. and that terrifies you.
ā” the campers love him. of course they do. heās barefoot half the time, sunburned, trailing kids like a one-man parade. makes fart jokes. pretends to be a swamp monster. teaches them how to fish using gummy worms. they call him ācoach pā even though you donāt have sports teams. and you hate how good he is at this. how easily he connects. how quickly kids go from sobbing to giggling with one dumb face or story. you run a tighter ship. you enforce quiet hours, give the best hugs, braid hair and bandage knees and write postcards to homesick girls so they feel like they matter. youāre the safe one. heās the fun one. opposites. and somehow, it works. he teases you about being the ācamp mom,ā but you catch him watching you across the playground like heās already imagining you holding his kid one day. he doesnāt say that out loud. but you feel it.
ā” after lights out, he sneaks into your cabin through the back. not every night. but enough that you start sleeping on the left side of the cot automatically. you kiss with the urgency of people who might get caught. thighs tangled. teeth clashing. breath stolen in pieces. sometimes he just lays there, hand under your shirt, fingers slow on your ribs like heās trying to map you. he talks softer here. asks about your family. your old job. why you came to camp in the first place. āwhat are you running from?ā he asks once, into your shoulder. you pretend you didnāt hear him. youāre not ready to answer that. and he doesnāt push. just kisses the curve of your neck and pulls you closer.
ā” dry humping with him isnāt a compromise. itās a sickness. youāre both fully clothed, rutting against each other like desperate teenagersāpanting, whispering, biting back moans in the dark. he grinds down hard, cock thick and leaking through his boxers, and you clutch at him like it hurts to be touched. your thighs get sticky. your shirt gets pulled halfway up. sometimes you come in your underwear with him barely touching youājust from how intense he gets. how he presses his forehead to yours and murmurs āyouāre so wet like thisājesus, baby, you gonna come for me just like that?ā and you do. and you canāt even feel embarrassed, because heās coming too, hips jerking, cock twitching against your thigh like heās been aching for you all day. because he has.
ā” sometimes, after cleanup duty, he corners you in the kitchen. flicks off the light. lifts you onto the counter and stands between your knees like he owns the space. kisses you so slowly it almost hurts. tongue sliding lazy and wet against yours. hands tracing the shape of your waist like heās not in a rush for once. āyouāre the only reason i get through the day sometimes,ā he admits into your mouth. and you donāt know how to answer. so you just pull him closer. and kiss him like you believe it.
ā” the sneaking around gets easier. muscle memory. you both know which counselors leave which patrols and when. which spots stay dark the longest. you pass each other little smirks during meals, casual touches that mean meet me later. and itās exciting. addicting. it feels like a secret universe just for the two of youāwhere your rules donāt apply and his bad habits donāt scare you and everything in the world stops mattering for a little while. until the sun comes up. until the whistles blow. until youāre back in your polos, pretending nothing happened, pretending you donāt miss his weight behind you.
ā” patrick makes you laugh in the middle of moments youāre trying to be serious. mid-counselor meeting while youāre trying to propose a new bug spray schedule, he leans over and whispers āyouāve got a power complex and i support it.ā you shove him. he grins like a child. but later, he shows up to your bug spray training and helps the kids fill out their logs. even makes a joke about mosquitos being ānatureās way of checking if youāre paying attention.ā he teases you like youāre a joke. but treats you like a miracle. you hate it. you love it. you donāt know which is worse.
ā” one night, youāre both out late walking a homesick camper back to their bunk. the kid holds your hand. patrick holds a flashlight. and when the kid falls asleep, curled between their stuffed animal and your knee, you both sit there. in silence. until patrick says, āi think i could do this. likeāthis. forever.ā and you look at him. really look. not the barefoot troublemaker or the secret hookup or the guy who knows how to kiss your neck just right. just him. raw. tired. maybe a little afraid. āme too,ā you whisper. and it feels dangerous. it feels real. it feels like the kind of thing you donāt come back from.
ā” patrick never wears shoes. like, ever. he says itās a āgrounding practice,ā but youāre 90% sure he just hates laces. his feet are perpetually dirty, half-burnt from the blacktop, always scratched up from god knows whatāsticks, rocks, one infamous lego in the arts cabin. you make fun of him for it constantly. he calls you āfoot-shamer generalā and bows dramatically whenever you scold him. but then he gets a splinter and limps around for half a day and you end up crouched in the nurseās station, tweezers in hand, while he pouts and calls you āflorence fuckinā nightingale.ā you donāt smile. not out loud. but when you rub ointment into his arch, he exhales like your hands are made of fire.
ā” patrick is always snacking. like constantly. heās the kind of guy who has sunflower seed shells in every pocket, and a crushed granola bar melted into the lining of his backpack. once you caught him eating an entire packet of mini Oreos behind the cabins at 9am. when you stared at him, horrified, he just grinned and said, āiām on the patrick plan: five meals, two breakdowns, and a little sugar every hour.ā and it would be ridiculousāshould be ridiculousābut then he starts bringing you snacks. peanut butter crackers when you skip lunch. little cups of gatorade when you look tired. he never says why. just hands it to you and walks away.
ā” youāve never seen anyone make kids laugh like he does. heāll trip over a tree root, fall into a mud puddle, and still turn it into a game. his group is always in chaosāmissing shoes, crooked name tags, one kid trying to eat a bugābut they worship him. like he hung the moon. and it drives you insane. because he lets them get away with everything. but he also remembers all their birthdays. carries bug spray for the ones with sensitive skin. draws secret tattoos on their wrists with marker so they can feel brave during nature hikes. you canāt even hate him for it. because heās good. stupidly good. in a way that makes you ache.
ā” you both learn each otherās bodies like a survival skill. where he likes to be scratched. the spot on your inner thigh that makes your hips twitch. how to kiss without leaving marks. how to slide hands under shirts without rustling too much fabric. he knows how to undo your bra with one hand. you know how to straddle his lap without messing up your bunk. heās a master at unbuttoning your shorts just enough to slip his hand in, fingers warm and rough and so good while he kisses you slow and deep like thereās no one else on the planet. and when you come, gasping into his neck, he holds you there. murmurs your name like itās something precious.
ā” sometimes, when youāre doing head counts, heāll sneak up behind you and whisper the wrong number just to mess with you. ātwenty-four, baby. we lost one. check the lake.ā you threaten to kill him. every time. but heās already laughing, ducking away, and godāgodāyou love him. even when you hate him. maybe especially when you hate him. itās easier than saying the real thing. than admitting itās not just a fling. not just camp hormones. itās him. itās always him.
ā” on a hot july night, the two of you end up swimming in the lake after hours. no lights. no one watching. just skin on skin and silence. you float on your back. he watches you like youāre something rare. precious. āyou ever think about next year?ā he asks. and you hate the question. because of course you have. and of course you havenāt. and everything feels too fragile to say out loud. so you just splash water in his face and tell him to race you to the dock. he lets you win. barely.
ā” he knows when youāre stressed. doesnāt ask. doesnāt prod. just finds you. hands you a popsicle. leads you to the dock. doesnāt say a word until your breathing slows. then he leans in and says something so stupidāso insufferably funnyāyou end up wheezing. head in your hands. tears in your eyes. and heās just sitting there watching you, face soft with something dangerous. something that sounds a lot like forever.
ā” thereās a spot behind the camp kitchen where the staff sometimes sneak cigarettes. you donāt smoke. he does. but you start meeting him there anyway. sometimes he just presses you into the wall, kisses you until your lips are raw. sometimes he just talks. tells you stories about foster homes, old bands he used to love, that one time he thought he could live in his car. you listen. every time. and when he exhales smoke into the air and mutters āi donāt think iāve ever felt safe like this,ā you donāt say anything. you just hold his hand. and hope itās enough.
ā” patrickās hoodie smells like sunscreen and grass and cedarwood soap. you wear it more than he does. he pretends not to notice. but one night, you give it back. folded. clean. and he looks at you like you just ended something. you canāt explain why it hurts so much. but later, when he shows up at your cabin, heās wearing it. and when he kisses you, itās deeper than usual. slower. like heās begging you not to leave first.
ā” the kids figure it out way before either of you admit anything. it starts small. one of your campers catches you smiling at patrick during breakfast lineup and immediately starts whispering about it like itās breaking news. another swears they saw him looking at you during talent show night with āgoogly eyes.ā suddenly there are questions. ādo you like coach p?ā ādo you think he likes you back?ā āif you got married would we get invited??ā you deny it. every time. cool. calm. collected. until one of the boys from his cabin asks patrick, dead serious: āif you kiss miss [your name], do you have to sign a form or something?ā and he chokes on his juice box.
ā” your campers start acting weird about it. suddenly youāre being paired with him for every buddy activity. heās always the first one they vote to sit with you during meals. one of the girls makes a beaded necklace with both your initials and gives it to you, just beaming. āitās for luck.ā you wear it under your shirt. patrick finds it later when heās got his hands up your back, and you feel him stop. go still. āthis mine?ā he murmurs. and when you nod, he presses his mouth to your collarbone like a thank you.
ā” the final week is crushing. your scheduleās full of extra activities and farewell events and everyoneās overtired and overstimulatedābut itās not just exhaustion. itās grief. because every day is a countdown now. every shared glance with patrick. every lunch tray passed. every secret kiss behind the maintenance shed. every time he passes you the walkie with his fingers brushing yours. itās all starting to feel like goodbye.
ā” you and patrick start holding onto each other longer at night. not talking. not even kissing sometimes. just curled up together in your bunk, breathing in sync. he strokes your spine with the back of his fingers and whispers things youāre not sure youāre meant to hear. āwish i met you earlier.ā āyou feel like home, you know that?ā and worst of all: āyou think weāll be likeā¦okay, after?ā you donāt answer. you just bury your face in his neck. pretend time doesnāt exist.
ā” the last night of camp, your kids do skits and cry and give each other bracelets and someone plays āriptideā on ukulele again even though no one asked. patrickās sitting on the bench behind your group, legs spread, arms around two of his boys who are both pretending theyāre not crying. you catch his eye. he mouths: āyou okay?ā and it breaks you. because no. youāre not. but you nod anyway.
ā” you sneak away after lights-out. meet him down by the docks. itās chilly. the lakeās glass. heās already sitting at the edge, feet in the water, hoodie up, face unreadable. when you sit beside him, he doesnāt say anything. just leans over, head on your shoulder. ācan we not talk?ā he asks. ājustā¦be here?ā and you stay there until sunrise. neither of you say a word.
ā” the kids give you goodbye letters. glitter pens. tissue flowers. one of them writes āi hope you and coach p get married. he looks at you like my dad looks at my mom in old photos.ā you read it in the storage closet. alone. and cry so hard you choke.
ā” patrick doesnāt do goodbyes well. he makes jokes. high-fives. spins a camper over his shoulder and calls it a āfinal swirl.ā but you can tell heās unraveling. later, after dinner, he corners you behind the lodge. āi donāt know how to not see you tomorrow,ā he says. voice thin. āi donāt know how to wake up and not look for your dumb clipboard and your ponytail and your bossy little voice telling me to shut up and act right.ā and you kiss him before he can finish. slow. quiet. ruined.
ā” the morning everyone leaves, itās chaos. suitcases. hugs. snot. sobbing campers. last photos. your hands are shaking. his too. he loads up the last van, then justā¦stands there. doesnāt even look at you at first. just wipes his mouth like heās trying to pull it together. ādonāt forget me,ā he says. and itās not fair. itās not fair. because you wonāt. not in a million years.
ā” after the buses are gone, you find something in your cubby. itās his bandana. the red one he always wore tied around his neck or arm or forehead like a cartoon cowboy. it smells like cedar and lake water and sweat. thereās a note with it. not long. just:
for the next time you miss me more than you should.
āp.
ā” the first week after camp, everything hurts. you fold laundry like youāre in mourning. you smell sunscreen and feel your stomach turn. you walk past a lake and almost cry. you check your phone and feel sick with how much you want his name to light up the screen. he texts you two days later: āYo! My new job has air conditioning. Itās unnatural. Also I miss you. A lot. :( Iāll send gummy worms if you say it back.ā you donāt answer for a while. then: āmiss you more. send two packs.ā
ā” he does. in a padded envelope. no note. just worms. and you hold them to your chest like theyāre flowers. like a promise. like a maybe.