Page 57 of We Could Be Heroes

“That is…”

“Creepy? It’s a bit creepy, innit. I knew it was creepy. April told me it was creepy.”

“I was about to say adorable. But then, I have been out of the scene for a long time, as we’ve already established, so maybe it is creepy and I just don’t know it.”

“So…?” Will nudged the laptop forward.

“I don’t know,” said Patrick. “I kinda hate watching myself.”

“And I hate scary movies,” said Will. “So this will be horrible for both of us.”

“This is what will make you feel better?”

“I just need to stop thinking about those egg-throwing bastards for a little while and turn my brain off with something mindless.”

“Mindless!” Patrick feigned offense. “That’s my oeuvre, I’ll have you know.”

“I’ve seen your oeuvre,” Will said, winking. “It’s fuzzier.”

He scooted around the coffee table and sank onto the sofa, threw a blanket over his lap, then held up one end of the blanket and patted the sofa cushion next to him. Patrick made some light protesting noises before rising from his armchair and moving over to the couch. Will curled into him as Patrick raised his arm to make room in near synchronicity. There was something about this automatic motion on both their parts that Patrick found deeply pleasing.

“Now if there are any bits that get too tense or gory…” Will began.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”

“I was going to say, we can just turn it off. As long as we make it past the first third. I want to see all of your scenes, and your character gets killed off at the start of the second act.”

“How do you know that?”

“Seriously? Am I going to watch a horror film without having read the plot summary on Wikipedia first? Like some kind of madman?”

“Fine,” said Patrick as Will hit play, then nestled deeper into the crook of his shoulder. “Just be warned…I look kinda different in this.”

“Oh, I know. I googled some stills. You are fully in your twink era. You look so cute. Proper murderable.”

“Flatterer.” Patrick kissed the top of Will’s head. Barely minutes later, after only one disappointingly bloodless kill (the studio had been keen for a PG-13 rating, which all but killed the movie), he felt Will’s breathing slow and deepen. He smirked. He couldn’t wait to rub it in his face after that whole nodding-off-in-the-car thing.

“Are you asleep?” he whispered.

“No,” Will retorted, eyes closed. “I am gripped. This is a real filmé.”

“If you like, we can switch this off, and I can just read the Wikipedia plot summary to you,” offered Patrick.

“Like a bedtime story?”

“A really fucked-up bedtime story.”

Will yawned. “You’re so good to me,” he mumbled. “Best boyfriend ever.”

Something in Patrick’s chest expanded on Will’s use of that word.

“Come on, you,” he said, rubbing Will’s shoulder to rouse him. “Let’s go to bed.”

* * *

•••••••••

Audra Kelly lay in Patrick’s arms, held so close to him that he could feel her heartbeat, and told him: “I think I love you after all.”

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