If Only (a peterick fanfiction)

The first day of college for two dorks who are gonna fall in love

3rd Person POV

"336... 336." A boy no more than 18 years old scurried down the seemingly endless hallway in a frantic haste. He stopped at an intersection, his gray vans skidding on the worn linoleum, gently pushing his hipster style glasses up the bridge of his nose self-consciously; it was a nervous habit he had acquired over the years. He scanned the signs adorning the walls, muttering that haunting number over and over again until he spotted it on a sign pointing sharply to the left. He sighed and took off running down the hallway, only slowing to a casual walk upon passing the windows of each classroom he passed so he wouldn't attract any attention. The boy's name was Patrick; noted musician, hipster, pop punk enthusiast, and as of today, college freshman. It had only been 15 minutes of his first day, and so far he had missed his alarm, forgotten his schedule sheet, gone back to get it, and gotten painfully lost upon finally arriving 10 minutes late. 5 minutes wandering the hallways felt like an hour and Patrick was a nervous wreck by the time he finally reached his World Lit class in room 336. Silently praying the teacher was forgiving, he opened the door which, to his utter dismay, creaked with such ferocity that he could feel all of the eyes in the classroom turn to stare at him, the late and disruptive boy at the door. "Dammit," he muttered under his breath as he felt his cheeks flush.

"Mr. Stump, I presume?" a voice boomed from the front of the room.

"Yes-yes, sir," Patrick stammered, surprised at the strength of the voice coming from the withered old man before him. He wore a simple blue cardigan and peered over the top of his glasses that perched on his pointy nose. His wispy, white hair and horrendous posture showed his age, but his voice still held onto its youth.

"Looks like we have a complete class today after all. Normally I'd count this as a tardy but seeing as though it's the first day and by the look on your face a quite a hectic one at that, I'll let it slide. Please, find a seat, and do be quiet about it. We're just finishing up going over some of the topics we'll be covering this semester." The professor promptly turned back to the projector and began reading off a few of the class' goals as if nothing had ever happened, and the students followed suit. Patrick, glad to have the judging stares of his peers off of him, began to search for a seat.

"Hey!" A quiet, yet urgent whisper caught his attention. Looking to his right, Patrick locked eyes with a boy staring straight at him. He was pointing to an empty chair beside him and nodding at Patrick to sit there. Patrick hesitated. There was something about those alluring brown eyes of his that drew him forward though. Ever so carefully, he approached the table and sat next to the brown-eyed boy.

"Quite an entrance you made back there, if I do say so myself," the mysterious boy chuckled. He pulled at the collar of his leather jacket and leaned back in his chair, smirking at Patrick and looking him up and down. Patrick could feel himself blushing, although he wasn't sure why. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stared into the boy's brown eyes some more, captivated by their intricacy. "Wentz," the boy stated. "Pete Wentz."

"Patrick Stump," he replied sheepishly.

"Patrick..." Pete muttered the name under his breath and suddenly smiled at Patrick. With a click of his pen and another onceover of Patrick with those fierce, brown eyes, he turned his attention back towards the projector leaving Patrick with this odd feeling in his stomach and a blush he couldn't seem to shake.

Pete's POV

I tried to concentrate on the professor's rambling, but I couldn't. As soon as my mind was on the lesson, I could feel myself slipping away once again, staring at the wall, mindlessly clicking my pen in my flustered state. I let out a frustrated sigh and gave into the only thing I could think about doing at the moment. I pretended to stretch and casually stole a look at Patrick. Oh my god he was adorable. He was wearing these hipster framed glasses that were almost too big for his face. Normally they would make someone look ridiculous, but him, they only seemed to magnify the perfect sculpture of his face. His chiseled chin and strong jaw-line made me feel weak and his lips looked almost too kissable. His blonde hair swept adorably along his forehead, and the serious, concentrated look on his face made me want to just hold him. I shook my head, slightly angry but also quite amused with myself for being so gay. I turned around and sighed, telling myself that that would be the last time I looked at him, although I knew it wouldn't be. He was irresistible. There was a certain aura about him that made me feel alive, yet at the same time so peaceful and at ease. It was incredibly odd. Never had I felt so immediately drawn to a guy before. Yes, I had had my share of intimate relationships and one night stands, but I had never experienced such strong feelings at a first meeting. At least, not since... I shuddered. That was a memory I didn't need to look back on at the moment. All that's been done, is done, and I was determined to focus on the little cutie that was right within my grasp. I clicked my pen again and again, thinking of ways to get this guy to be mine, smiling at all of the ways he could fall for me, and I for him.

"Aren't you coming?" I jumped. Patrick was looming over me; his eyes alight with an inquisitive nature.

"Huh?" I replied stupidly. It was all I could come up with. God, I was such an idiot. Usually I was so smooth, but there was something about Patrick's innocence that numbed me.

"Class is over, aren't you coming?" I blinked at him. Looking around, I noticed the rest of the class gathering their things and heading out the door in an organized fashion. Normally I would be pissed at someone for making such a smart-ass comment, but there wasn't a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Nothing but pure intentions.

"Oh, yeah," I stammered, staggering to my feet, lost in his soft gaze. Jesus, get a hold of yourself, Pete. I mentally chastised myself for my lack of composure in front of this new target of mine. Clearing my throat, I leaned on the table and turned my cool gaze onto Patrick. "So, you got any plans later?" I tried to act casual, twirling my pen in my fingers, smirking as I watched Patrick blush. I could tell he was prone to blushing. His fair complexion didn't help his case, but to be completely honest, I didn't mind it. It was rather cute.

"I was planning on heading out to the bookstore to grab a few books for one of my classes, but that's about it," he said with a gentle smile.

"Mind if I tag along? Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee on the way." I could see his eyes flicker to the left and right, obviously processing my request. He opened his mouth hesitantly, about to reply, but I eagerly cut in, determined to make him totally on board with my proposal. "I want to get to know you better. After all, we are in the same literature class, and I think there's great friendship potential here." I paused before the word friendship and tried to make it sound as suggestive as possible so as not to convey the wrong idea to Patrick. I wanted him to question my intentions, keep guessing my motives, but at the same time possess a vague certainty of my ultimate goal: to have something more than a mere friendship. I could see something stirring in Patrick's eyes and slight smile form on his lips.

"Okay. I guess it is the start of college, and I'll need as many friends as I can get," he replied with a grin. I slapped a hand to his shoulder playfully.

"Let's go! Lead the way, Mr. Stump." I grabbed my things and we began our walk out of the building in silence, my mind wandering back to his comment about needing as many "friends" as he could get. Was I too vague? Should I have been more straightforward with my invitation? Suddenly I was second guessing whether or not he realized my intentions. I stopped dead in my tracks. What if he wasn't even gay?

"You okay? Did you leave something in the classroom?" I scanned him over. Black cardigan. Navy blue jeans. Hipster glasses. Grey scarf and vans of the same shade.

"Nope, I've got everything I need right here," I said with a smirk. Who was I kidding? He was totally, 100% gay.

A/N: Hey, welcome!!! I hope you enjoy this wild ride. I certainly enjoyed writing it. This is part 1 of many- The finished product adds up to 59,000 words! Updates will be weekly, so give this story a fave or myself a follow to stay up to date! Comments, good and bad, are always welcome!!