Pete woke up when he felt the bed shift beside him. He could hear Chicago crying in the other room, high pitched and angry.
"Patrick?" He rolled over, forcing one eye open against the glare of the hall light.
"It's my turn, go back to sleep," Patrick whispered as he shuffled towards the door, ratty slippers making a rasping noise against the hardwood floor.
"Too late," Pete sighed, pushing the blankets away. "I'll come too."
Chicago was standing up in her crib, chubby little fists gripped tight around the bars, face red and scrunchy. She had strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, Pete swore up and down she really was Patrick's. They'd been trying to adopt for over a year with no luck when Pete got the call. A stuffy sounding guy with a bit of a lisp told him, 'Mr. Wentz? This is Richard Smithson with Child Services, could you and Mr. Stump come down to the office, we have some good news.' It's was the third best day of his life. First and second being When Patrick Said Yes, and the first time they put Chicago in his arms, in no particular order.
"Hey little girl," Pete murmured, "what's wrong? Hmm?" She reached up and tugged hard on Pete's t-shirt.
"Da! Da Pee!"
Patrick snorted a little, "I still can't get over that."
"It's not funny," Pete retorted, scooping her out of the crib. "At least she doesn't call me 'Da Peetick.'"
"It is funny. She calls you Pee."
"Okay, Peestick," Pete grinned.
"Da Peetick!" Chicago exclaimed, arms stretching towards her dad.
"Never call me that again," Patrick said seriously and accepted Chicago from Pete, tucking her up under his chin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed happily. Pete came up behind him and rested his chin on Patrick's shoulder near Chicago's head.
"I love you, little city girl."
"Da Pee," Chicago said sleepily. Pete wrapped one arm around Patrick's waist and brought the other hand up to brush as strand of hair away from Chicago's forehead.
"She misses you when you're gone," Patrick whispered, "we both do."
"I miss you guys, too." Pete's voice was tight as he pressed his nose to the curve of Patrick's neck.
"Hey, it's okay. We talked about this way before we got Chi, you have things you have to do, that doesn't make you a bad dad."
Pete nodded into Patrick's shirt.
"Ting," Chicago demanded, suddenly awake again. "Ting, Da." Patrick hummed a little before starting in on Lullabye, voice scratchy from sleep.
honey is for bees silly bear besides there's jelly beans everywhere it's not what it seems in the land of dreams don't worry your head just go to sleep
it doesn't matter how you feel life is just a ferris wheel it's always up and down don't make a sound
when you wake up the world will come around when you wake up the world will come around
it's just the sweet weather and the peacock feathers in the morning it will all be better it's not what it seems in the land of dreams don't worry your head just go to sleep
when you wake up the world will come around when you wake up the world will come around
honey is for bees silly bear besides there's jelly beans everywhere it's not what it seems in the land of dreams don't worry your head just go to sleep
Chicago had drifted off during the second verse, one hand in Patrick's hair, the other wrapped around Pete's finger.
"How'd I get so lucky?" Pete whispered. "First you then her, I don't deserve any of it."
"You do," Patrick insisted. "Sometimes you're an ass but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be happy, remember that."
Remember That Pete/Patrick G
"Patrick?" He rolled over, forcing one eye open against the glare of the hall light.
"It's my turn, go back to sleep," Patrick whispered as he shuffled towards the door, ratty slippers making a rasping noise against the hardwood floor.
"Too late," Pete sighed, pushing the blankets away. "I'll come too."
Chicago was standing up in her crib, chubby little fists gripped tight around the bars, face red and scrunchy. She had strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes, Pete swore up and down she really was Patrick's. They'd been trying to adopt for over a year with no luck when Pete got the call. A stuffy sounding guy with a bit of a lisp told him, 'Mr. Wentz? This is Richard Smithson with Child Services, could you and Mr. Stump come down to the office, we have some good news.' It's was the third best day of his life. First and second being When Patrick Said Yes, and the first time they put Chicago in his arms, in no particular order.
"Hey little girl," Pete murmured, "what's wrong? Hmm?" She reached up and tugged hard on Pete's t-shirt.
"Da! Da Pee!"
Patrick snorted a little, "I still can't get over that."
"It's not funny," Pete retorted, scooping her out of the crib. "At least she doesn't call me 'Da Peetick.'"
"It is funny. She calls you Pee."
"Okay, Peestick," Pete grinned.
"Da Peetick!" Chicago exclaimed, arms stretching towards her dad.
"Never call me that again," Patrick said seriously and accepted Chicago from Pete, tucking her up under his chin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed happily. Pete came up behind him and rested his chin on Patrick's shoulder near Chicago's head.
"I love you, little city girl."
"Da Pee," Chicago said sleepily. Pete wrapped one arm around Patrick's waist and brought the other hand up to brush as strand of hair away from Chicago's forehead.
"She misses you when you're gone," Patrick whispered, "we both do."
"I miss you guys, too." Pete's voice was tight as he pressed his nose to the curve of Patrick's neck.
"Hey, it's okay. We talked about this way before we got Chi, you have things you have to do, that doesn't make you a bad dad."
Pete nodded into Patrick's shirt.
"Ting," Chicago demanded, suddenly awake again. "Ting, Da." Patrick hummed a little before starting in on Lullabye, voice scratchy from sleep.
honey is for bees silly bear
besides there's jelly beans everywhere
it's not what it seems in the land of dreams
don't worry your head just go to sleep
it doesn't matter how you feel
life is just a ferris wheel
it's always up and down
don't make a sound
when you wake up the world will come around
when you wake up the world will come around
it's just the sweet weather and the peacock feathers
in the morning it will all be better
it's not what it seems in the land of dreams
don't worry your head just go to sleep
when you wake up the world will come around
when you wake up the world will come around
honey is for bees silly bear
besides there's jelly beans everywhere
it's not what it seems in the land of dreams
don't worry your head just go to sleep
Chicago had drifted off during the second verse, one hand in Patrick's hair, the other wrapped around Pete's finger.
"How'd I get so lucky?" Pete whispered. "First you then her, I don't deserve any of it."
"You do," Patrick insisted. "Sometimes you're an ass but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be happy, remember that."
"I love you," Pete answered, "remember that."
"I love you too, always and forever Peterpanda."