Listen (Patrick Stump / Fall Out Boy Fanfic)

Chapter 14 - You're Just a Little Bit Amazing

            Aria and I had been living together for just over a month when we finally had our first fight as a couple. In hindsight, it was a really stupid fight, over something trivial and meaningless, but it was a big fight, all the same. I still don't know why I acted the way I did, or how it came to be such a big deal, but it was, and we came out of it a stronger couple.

It started soon after Aria moved in. I watched as her personal belongings intermixed with my own, and I loved it. I helped her put things away, and one of my favorite parts of the whole thing was making room in my closet for some of her clothes. We carried up her dresser, which just so happened to match mine well enough, as well as moved a bookcase into the living room, and exchanged my old coffee pot for her newer one. Little changes happened all over the house, but the one thing that remained untouched was my studio, for obvious reasons. I loved having her here, and I loved that she was becoming a part of my everyday life. She seemed just as happy as I felt, though I still strived every day to make her even happier.

The guys were here more often than not, as we prepared for the release of our first single as well as our upcoming tour, and Aria was always happy to watch or give us space when we needed it. Most times, Meagan tagged along with Pete and the girls went off to shop for the baby, or talk about the baby, or just fawn over the general idea of the baby. I was happy for Pete and Meagan, but at the same time, their relationship constantly had me thinking. Just looking at the way Meagan glowed and the way Aria was so happy for her made me wonder what it would be like if that were us. Of course, we were still trying to take things slowly, but still, I couldn't help but wonder.

One afternoon, when I had just gotten home from the studio, I found Meagan's car in the driveway. I walked inside and was immediately met with the smell of Aria's cooking. Smiling, I wandered into the kitchen, where the girls were sitting at the table eating lunch. Aria saw me first, looking up at me with a wide grin, and signing, "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hey, babe," I signed back, just as Meagan turned around in her seat to see me. "Hey, Meag."

"Hi, Patrick," she chimed, standing to give me a hug. I kissed her cheek and she settled back down. I watched her, noticing that she still didn't have much of a baby bump. She was only about three months along, and her belly had only just begun to form a bit of roundness. "I just stopped by to see Aria," Meagan continued, picking at the lunch that Aria had made for the two of them. "We were just making plans to go out shopping tomorrow, while you boys were in the studio."

"Sounds good," I said, wandering curiously over to the stove, where there was still food left. "What are you guys going to look for?"

"Oh, just cribs," Meagan said, "I want to find one that will look nice in that guest bedroom at Pete's house, the one next to Bronx's bedroom. We're planning on turning that into the nursery."

"Oh, cool," I mused, settling down at the table between the two of them with my own food. Aria smiled at me, and I leaned over to kiss her before I dug in. "Let us know when you're ready to move," I told Meagan, "We can help out."

"Thanks, Patrick," Meagan sighed, "We'll need the help by the time we have everything ready." She ran her hands delicately over her abdomen as she spoke, making me glance dolefully at Aria. It wasn't that I was unhappy that it wasn't us having the baby, but I was starting to worry because we'd never talked about our future together. I didn't even know if she wanted things like that with me.

After lunch, Meagan headed home to Pete and Aria went off to read a book in the living room. She was sprawled over the couch, so I leaned over the back of it to kiss her, and then I retreated to my studio downstairs. I sat at the piano, just mindlessly plunking at the keys. I did this a lot when I just needed time to myself to think. Oddly enough, I used to write a lot of songs this way. Right now, though, I only seemed capable of playing songs I already knew. I started absently playing a piano version of Alone Together, coming up with the new melody on the spot.