A/N: oops. some smut fell out of my pocket.
There was a period of time in which Pete could remember feeling normal. He'd gone camping for a weekend with his family by their private beach. It was a rare occasion where they weren't away on business, and the memory had been so vivid Pete didn't fail to relive it even today. One could walk the coast for miles, and perhaps that was what he did. The enclosed beach was silent. The sun was a fireball that blinded him as it emerged, rising like a glowing medallion on the distant horizon.
Topaz sunbursts of light smashed against the calming blue of the ocean. Crashing against the shore, small waves washed the night's debris onto the land. Untouched golden sand covered the floor as far as his eyes could see. A soothing, gentle sea breeze rustled through his matted hair while the smell of the salty sea rushed through his nose as he breathed in fresh air.
The halo of the towering mountains colored the edges the beach, the cliffs rising up and riding in between orange crest clouds that blanketed the gentle blue sky. Pete had fallen in love with life in those two days where he had been small and unimportant and entirely like everyone else. Ever since then he had dreamed of going back and indulging in the nostalgia of his childhood, but he never got around to actually doing it. When Gerard had suggested he take Meagan out on a trip to celebrate their engagement Pete couldn't help but consider the royal's beach as an option.
After all, he had started to enjoy her company much more, and it could be of some value to their relationship to share with her the importance of such a location. Yet, as a result of spending his days with her he saw so little of everyone else. His fiancee seemed to make time fly quickly with her spontaneous personality that swallowed up every second and immersed him in sleepless nights and unwinding afternoons filled with laughter and banter that lasted until their throats grew dry. Pete didn't understand, though, why he could not love her when she was such a perfect addition to his life. Her presence was merely appreciated from a friendship standpoint, and even when he tried his hardest to push his mind away from that perspective he couldn't look at her the way his father looked at his mother.
It simply wasn't possible no matter how much he wanted it to be. Gerard had made the arrangements and freed up Pete's schedule for the weekend trip. As an act of thankfulness, Pete suggested Gerard bring a friend along. To his surprise, though, his guest happened to be Frank, which turned out to be rather convenient in the end since his parents thought him to be the only trustworthy person to drive them. Patrick had to come along no question, but Pete didn't know if his bodyguard would enjoy it much when they rarely ever spoke nowadays unless it was necessary.
He hated how distant they had become, hated how they could barely even look each other in the eye, but it had been his doing. Everything had gone too far, and there was no way to fix it without there being a trail of hurt left behind. Somebody was bound to suffer with the lack of care that he embodied for everyone else's emotions whenever he did something. Perhaps that was his most notorious flaw- to not think of the consequences until after the deed was done. He'd asked Brendon and his girlfriend, Sarah, to join them, but when Brendon had arrived at the palace there was no counterpart in tow.
"She couldn't get time off of work," he had explained.
It was understandable. Sarah worked non-profit, and sometimes her duties bled into her free time. Pete admired that about her- how selfless and caring she could be, and she was beautiful too. He remembered the first time Brendon introduced her. His breath was taken away by her doll-like blue eyes that even the sky envied.
Strands of black framed her rosy cheeks and ended just around her golden smile. Pete would be lying if he said he didn't fall a little in love with her. Everyone usually did. She was just that type of girl. The gang of friends all piled into the SUV around mid-day and set out toward the private beach.
They exchanged a few words about how lovely the weather was before remaining silent throughout the ride. A briny aroma welcomed them once they had reached the hill overlooking the shore. Pete wiggled as a shiver cascaded down his spine at the sight. He stared at the golden sand extending at a gentle slope, blurring out in a blissful trance and fading along the soft strip of sea foam. The waves were laced with subtle green hues that kissed the tumbling dunes.
Patrick walked up beside him, a folded tent slotted in his armpit. He stopped to soak in the flaring hues of sun melting into the sky and ocean like a divine painting, apricot flowing into turquoise. Pete bestowed his gaze upon his bodyguard. His hair nearly matched the color of the sand, Pete noticed- waves of gold overlapping one another. He was a sight much more gorgeous than the white bubbling crests descending over the mass of water.
"You want to help set up, or are you going to look at me the whole time?" Patrick spoke, meeting Pete's stare.
The prince cleared his throat before aiding the group in putting up their tents. Brendon and Patrick opted to share one so that the couples could have their own privacy together. Afterwards, they went to lie on the beach and take in the rest of the sun before it set. Pete shared a towel with Meagan who began to apply tanning lotion across her smooth skin.
Though she was always nice to look at, Pete decided that Patrick was a more interesting display in his grey swim trunks that hung a bit below his pelvic line. He wasn't skinny, but the prince thought the chub that pooled at his tummy and around his hips were a rather charming quality about Patrick. His bodyguard was running around barefoot, toes sinking into the sand, and tossing a frisbee around with Brendon. Pete watched them play for a while until the sky darkened, and then he joined Gerard and Frank in gathering wood for a bonfire.
It was odd how they were suddenly an item, but Pete had been too consumed in his own life to have noticed the change. He figured it was Frank he caught having relations Gerard with that night, which made a great deal of sense now that he thought about it. They had a lot of chemistry. Pete could sense the connection between them with each romantic gesture they showed each other through hand holding and sneaked kisses. It made his heart flutter to know that his assistant had the happiness he so genuinely deserved.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky at the flick of a match thrown into the pit. Smoldering flames licked the blackened wood, crackling and feeding the shower of sparks that leaped out into the plumes of grey. The glowing embers twinkled like stars in the hot swirling air before landing at their feet and setting the sand alight for a moment. Meagan was sprawled across his lap with hooded eyes that flickered over his features. He leaned down so that their lips briefly touched- a perfunctory act, a duty done, a ritual performed.
It meant nothing and yet everything all at once because when he looked up he saw the disgruntled expression on his bodyguard's face he could barely understand himself. She was the first to turn in early with the explanation that the day had tired her out. Frank and Gerard followed suit, leaving Patrick sat across the fire from Pete.
"You going to sleep?" the prince asked, grabbing a thin stick and dragging it across the ground.
"I'm not tired yet, and besides, if I left you here all alone you'd probably end up murdered. Then I wouldn't hear the end of it from your parents."
Pete smiled to himself and moved so that he was next to the other.
"That's a good point. I mean it's not like you'd miss me or anything."
"Miss you? Nah, but I'd be out of a job."
Patrick dropped his head onto Pete's shoulder whilst they proceeded to sit in silence with nothing but the fire filling the air. It was when it died out that Pete realized Patrick had fallen asleep, so he laid him in the sand and stood to look out at the sea. A sudden reckless impulse overtook all his senses, and a second later he was running toward the water with his arms out to receive the waves. A warmth swallowed him, the tangle of seaweed and pebbles cruising along his feet. This moment in which the moonlight drowned out the world and the waves crashed into him Pete embraced the calm with laughter and collapsed onto the damp sand once he had tired.
"What are you doing awake at two in the morning?" a voice uttered.
Pete's eyes burst open to see Patrick hovering over him, arms hugging himself to shield his bare skin from the crisp breeze.
"Don't know."
He joined the prince with knees to his chest, and sighed a deep breath.
"I never said sorry for calling you selfish."
Pete sat upright and scooted closer to his friend. His wet arm stuck against Patrick's dry skin.
"But it's true."
"No...it's not. You just need a little help figuring where your priorities lie."
They listened to the ocean a moment before Pete turned his head and smiled at how much more beautiful his bodyguard was in the streaks of moonlight that washed over him. There was an urge in him to touch Patrick, to know that he was real and there with him. He put a hand on the other's bare chest and let it slide down to his hip. Pete kissed the curve of his neck, his lips pressing into a vein. Patrick's heartbeat pounded against his mouth with his fingers pushing into his soft skin, trailing past the dip and falling on the border of his trunks.
He had only lifted the edge a bit when Patrick shoved his hand aside before getting back to his feet. Pete watched in confusion as Patrick walked away past the campsite and towards the showers, so he went after his friend.
"Hey, I'm sorry," he said, opening the gate and going into the dark building that was dimly lit by the lamp outside shining through the gaps of brick.
He saw Patrick leaning against a wall and looking straight at him. They didn't say anything to each other for a minute. In fact, Pete knew that if he did it would go unanswered. Instead, the prince went up slowly and placed his hand on the back of Patrick's warm neck, bringing their lips together. He wanted to kiss him forever.
He blocked out all thought about what this was, what it might have meant, what further mess he was going to create for himself, and Pete kissed him until reason seeped out through his pores and he became a living pulse, conscious only of what he wanted to do with Patrick. Suddenly, they were crashing around like the waves they were hearing outside, flipping and twirling with hands that tore at the clothes they wore on their lower halves. He was shoved onto the wall and held there while Patrick slicked himself up with spit. The head of his cock prodded Pete's hole and slid inside him ever so gently. There were tiny fireworks going off in the pit of his stomach as Patrick pumped his hips forward and pushed him deeper against the brick.
Patrick kept his mouth on him, lavishing his jaw and neck with attention. He worked his thrusting to a steady tempo, setting off broken moans from the prince that were music to his ears. If he did it right, Pete made the most glorious sounds- raw, intense, absolutely delicious noises of pleasure as he pounded into him. Pete felt his hair being grabbed, yanked and pulled the wild tumble still damp from the sea, and his head tilted back so their lips could meet again, the kiss everything lewd and lascivious and lovely. The blond took Pete's earlobe between his teeth, and he became weak under the spell of his hand wrapping around his length.
A few strokes had him shuddering and arching up against Patrick as he came. His bodyguard groaned obnoxiously loud a second later, continuing to fuck him through his climax until he slowed and stopped altogether. The aftermath seeped out of him when Patrick pulled away, and he turned around to kiss him once before they went about washing the mess down the drain. The two walked back to the campsite and bid each other goodnight at their tents. Pete curled into Megan's arms and dreamed that they were Patrick's.
A/N: just a little taste of top!patrick for ya. ;)