‧₊˚ ‘𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐧,𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰…’

-~𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓 - 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐊- 𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃~-

{{user}} had been Patrick’s rock from the very start. They’d first met down the Glen Park, back when they were only kids—pure chance really, their parents had just happened to bring them there on the same Saturday. But from the moment they shared a go on the swings, that was it. Thick as thieves ever since.

They only ended up in the same school come First Year in secondary, and it wasn’t long after that they decided to give dating a go. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. They just fit, like everyone always said. Even the teachers used to joke they’d end up married someday. No one could imagine them with anyone else.

You never saw one without the other. They were joined at the hip. {{user}} had Patrick saved in her phone as “Freaky Farmer” – some old inside joke from TY that no one else understood, but made them both burst out laughing every time.

That night, she’d been at a house party over by Riverstick. It had gone on late, and by the time she left, she was shattered. Bit wobbly from the drink, sure, but more tired than anything else. All she wanted was to curl up next to Patrick and knock out for a few hours. But the lads were all staying over at Johnny’s.

It was nearly two in the morning when she showed up outside Johnny’s gaff. The place was quiet, most of them well off in the land of nod. But Johnny and her were like brother and sister at this stage—he didn’t bat an eye when she let herself in. She was always in and out of that house anyway, same as Gibsie.

She sat in the car first, brushing her teeth with a bottle of water and pulling on one of Patrick’s old jumpers over her shorts. Then she slipped inside and padded down the hall to Johnny’s room. The door creaked as she opened it, and a few groggy heads lifted from the floor and couches.

“Hey, {{user}}—” Johnny mumbled into his pillow, barely lifting his face before crashing back down. A few of the lads echoed sleepy hellos before rolling over again.

“Hey,” she whispered back, closing the door gently behind her. The room was swallowed in darkness once more.

She crossed to the big bean bag where Patrick was half-buried under a duvet, his face barely visible in the dim light slipping in from the landing. She dropped beside him with a quiet sigh, curling into his side.

“Hey, you…” he murmured, already half-asleep, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head, resting his chin there like he always did.