Work Text:
David blinked awake, head slightly pounding from the combination of Zhampagne and greasy café food from last night. After the success of his Christmas Eve party the previous week, Johnny had decided that it was only logical for him to continue his winning streak and throw a New Year’s Eve party. Which is why, David found himself squeezed into his single bed in the motel with Patrick.
Normally, David loved the fact he always seemed to be the little spoon and got to sleep holding Patrick as he pressed into him from behind. However, this morning, it was very much less so a cute show of affection and more a necessary anchor to stop him falling out of the bed that was definitely not made for two grown men to share.
David became aware of consciousness in stages. The weight of blanket and the faint sound of the motel heater rattling somewhere in the background. Then the heat of Patrick behind him, who was awake and drawing patterns on David’s hip.
“Happy New Year, David,” Patrick whispered into David’s temple as he placed a kiss there.
“No.”
Patrick laughed. “No? It’s not a happy New Year?”
“No, no, s’ too early,” David mumbled from where his face was pressed into his pillow.
Another kiss landed on his cheek. Then his jaw. David groaned trying to hide the smile that was fighting its way out.
"Stop."
"No."
A kiss to his jaw.
"Patrick."
A kiss to his hairline.
"Patrick."
“I’m gonna keep going until you wake up.”
A kiss to the bridge of his nose.
David finally cracked one eye open.
Patrick was propped up on one elbow beside him, looking entirely too pleased with himself. The winter sunlight filtering through the curtains painted everything gold.
"Ugh. Okay. I’m awake" David said, his tone not matching the grin on his face. “Happy New Year, Patrick.”
“Happy New Year, baby,”
"You are aggressively cheerful this morning. However, that was a very nice way to be woken up”.
Patrick grinned. "It's New Year's Day."
"That's not a real excuse."
"It is."
"It absolutely isn't."
Patrick leaned down and kissed him again. This time David kissed him back. Slowly and sleepily. The kind of kiss that belonged entirely to lazy mornings.
When they finally pulled apart, Patrick settled back against the pillows lifting his arm so that David could reposition himself against Patrick’s chest.
For a while they lay quietly as David's eyes threatened to close again.
Patrick laughed softly. "Don't fall asleep."
"I can and I will."
"You'll miss the whole day."
David buried his face against Patrick's shoulder.
"That sounds ideal."
Patrick's hand moved lazily through his hair. "So," Patrick said.
David groaned.
"No conversations before coffee."
"We don't have coffee. It’s New Year’s Day so everything is shut."
David froze.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
"Oh my God."
Patrick started laughing immediately.
"We forgot coffee."
"We never forget coffee."
"I know."
David stared at the ceiling.
"This is what happens when your father throws a New Year's Eve party."
Patrick laughed harder.
"Your dad was very excited."
"It was awful.” David said, a disgusted expression on his face as he remembered the previous night.
"It was nice, David." Patrick said, mostly truthfully but also teasing slightly.
"Why was Roland wearing a name tag?"
Patrick's shoulders shook with laughter. "I don't know."
"And why did my father introduce everyone like we were attending some sort of networking event?" David immediately slipped into a remarkably accurate Johnny impression. “You may know Ronnie from being on council, but did you know she's also an entrepreneur?”
David collapsed back onto the pillow as Patrick laughed. "Horrifying."
"I enjoyed your Dad very poorly trying to get everyone to play a game of two truths and a lie."
“A game he still does not understand, mind you.” David added.
"Mrs Rose’s answer was pretty good." David peeked through his fingers. “I once shared a dressing room with a mongoose and a disgraced prime minister.”
"Still not sure if that was true."
"Neither is she."
When their laughter faded, David settled back against him. Neither of them seemed in a hurry to move and outside, snow continued falling.
Patrick glanced toward the window. "What's your plan for today?"
David frowned. "Survival."
"No, really."
David thought about it. Then yawned. Then thought about it some more. "Honestly?"
"Yeah."
"I'm planning to stay right here."
Patrick smiled. "Good."
David looked up. "Good?"
"I was thinking the same thing." Patrick adjusted the blanket over both of them. “Don’t wanna be anywhere today but here with you.”
The words settled softly between them as David looked around the room. Slowly he realised. No knocking. No Alexis. No Johnny with a party agenda. No Rose family chaos. Just the two of them.
"Wait."
Patrick frowned. "What?"
"We're alone."
Patrick's smile grew. "Oh."
As soon as Patrick shifted, looking to make some good use of this privacy, the motel room door flew open.
Alexis burst inside carrying a stack of magazines. "Oh good, you're both awake."
"Leave," said David too quickly.
Alexis ignored him. "I need everyone at Mom and Dad's room in twenty minutes."
"No."
"Ugh, David yes, since everything is shut today, I thought we could have a cutie little afternoon doing vision boards."
Patrick blinked. "What are vision boards?"
Alexis gasped. "Oh my God."
David sighed.
The day was ruined.
***
Twenty-five minutes later, everyone was crowded into Johnny and Moira's motel room. The table was covered with magazines, scissors, glue sticks, and poster board. No one but Alexis seemed very impressed to be there.
“Isn’t a vision board just Pinterest for people with scissors?” Stevie asked.
“Stevie, please,” said Alexis. “This is going to be fun!”
“No, dear, she's may in fact be validated in her point, this little arts and crafts project seems awfully futile to me” Moira said, as Alexis rolled her eyes.
An hour later, after much complaining, everyone was busy getting on with their vision boards.
Johnny spent the entire time making disgruntled noises as he tried to glue. David, ever the perfectionist took at least 20 minutes to put a single thing on his board. Alexis worked with frightening speed. “I already know what I want,” she said, cutting out photos. “Travel, wellness, a better apartment, a hot boyfriend who owns a boat but is emotionally available.”
“Those are mutually exclusive,” said David.
Alexis ignored him.
A timer went of on Alexis’ phone. “Oh yay! Time is up, let’s all do like a little show and tell.”
Johnny stood looking too pleased with himself and offered to go first. He has carefully clipped pictures of businesspeople shaking hands, a nice house, and a family gathered around a dinner table.
“Mine is mostly stability,” he admitted.
“A noble pursuit,” Moira said.
“So, your dream is to live in the 1950’s?” David snarled, looking unamused.
Alexis gave him a glare. “Ugh David, don’t be mean. That’s so cute Dad. Okay, Mom, you go,”
Moira’s own board looked less like a vision board and more like evidence from a conspiracy investigation. There were photos of red carpets, castles, ravens, crowns, and one picture of a woman dramatically standing on a cliff.
“What does that one represent?” Stevie asked.
“Vindication.”
“Of what?”
“I shall know it when it arrives.”
Stevie’s board contained a dog, several coffee cups, a picture of a beach vacation and a large image of a person sleeping.
“My goals are realistic,” she said.
David and Patrick sat side by side, still quietly cutting out pictures.
Alexis glanced over at them. “Wait. Oh my god.”
Everyone looked.
David's board featured a cozy house, a framed picture of a happy couple, endless sweaters, a candlelit dinner, and a storefront.
Patrick's board featured...
A cozy house. A small garden. A framed picture of a happy couple. A dog. A romantic dinner. A storefront.
The same storefront, in fact.
“Okay, that's creepy,” Stevie said.
Patrick blinked. “What?”
“You made the exact same board,” Alexis said.
“No, we didn't.”
Alexis held them up side by side.
The room went silent. Even David stared.
“Oh my god.”
David looked horrified. Patrick looked delighted.
“I guess we have similar goals.”
“Patrick,” Alexis said, “you both literally chose the same store front.”
“It’s a nice one.”
Johnny examined the boards, a small smile on his face “That’s very nice boys!”
David rubbed his face.
“Can everybody please stop acting like we're some weird couple hive mind?”
“You absolutely are,” said Stevie.
Moira rose from her chair and studied the boards with theatrical gravity.
“Two souls,” she declared, “bound by destiny, mutual affection, and apparently identical clipping preferences.”
Patrick laughed as David tried not to smile.
“What can I say?” Patrick said. “I like what he likes.”
David finally glanced at Patrick's board and his expression finally softened.
“Okay,” he admitted quietly. “Maybe it's kind of cute.”
“Kind of?” Patrick asked.
“Don't push it.”
Alexis immediately took out her phone.
“Oh my god, hold them together.”
“No.”
“David.”
“No.”
“David!”
Patrick was already holding the boards side by side.
Alexis snapped a picture.
“Perfect.”
David groaned.
“You're never deleting that, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
Patrick slipped an arm around David's shoulder. “This isn’t actually that surprising. We've talked about a lot of this stuff.”
“Not the dog,” David said.
“The dog's happening.”
“The dog is under review.”
Across the table, Moira lifted her glue stick like a champagne flute.
“To aspirations fulfilled.”
“To aspirations fulfilled,” Johnny echoed.
Everyone raised whatever they happened to be holding.
“Guess we're on the same page.”
David rolled his eyes but leaned into him anyway. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Something inside David warmed. This is going to be a good year, he thought to himself.