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„Calm down. You can do this.“
Patrick stares at his mirror image in the bathroom, the surface still slightly blurry from the shower.
„It's going to be ok." He squeezes his eyes shut. "It's not like I know it will even work! Ugh. Alright. I’m giving him two minutes, then I'll...“
The doorbell makes Patrick jump.
„The hell! You’d know he’d be here.“ he scolds himself as he stumbles to the door. „Leon!“ he says, before he’s finished, opening the door. „I’m so glad you found the time. Come in!“
:::
„It sounded pretty urgent.“ Leon answers.
„It is. I’m freaking out a bit.“ Patrick runs his hand through his hair, moving about just a bit too close to Leon, squeezing past him and heading for one of the rooms, hand on the knob. „I uhhh haveadatetonight and I don’t know what to wear.“
Leon laughs.
„That’s all?“ Leon says. Nothing easier than that. „Let’s see what we’re working with.
Leon strolls inside, taking in the layout – professional habit. Hall, kitchen, probably the bathroom. Patrick has left the door to the bedroom half open, there isn't much to see, but it looks large and cozy and there is rummaging going on inside. Leon walks inside the living room, waiting for his host to catch up with him.
Patrick brings out some clothes in hangers, throwing them on the sofa. He is in a white shirt and jeans, cute enough for Leon to visit, but clearly not ready for a night in town.
Speaking of: who might the date be? Not Leon’s problem to worry about, it’s just … sudden. They've been spending a bunch of drunken nights together in the past months and Patrick has never expressed his interest in anyone. After Leon got Patrick to stop praising him as a hero, he was surprised to see how fun and goofy they can be together.
Right now Patrick is however, not relaxed. That would be one more reason why Leon doesn’t particularly care about some stranger butting in and claiming Patrick’s time or feelings or whatever they are expecting from this date.
„I was thinking this shirt,“ Patrick holds up one in a pinkish grey. „Or the striped one?“
„Striped,“ Leon says after a moment of thinking, pointing at the hanger. Patrick immediately throws the striped shirt on a chair to pick up later. Leon grins and folds his arms. This might take a while, but it’s going to be fun to watch.
„Trousers or jeans?“
„Trousers. Do you have a black pair?“
Patrick’s shoulders sag. „I don’t want to look too gloomy.“
„You won’t.“
"Alright, I'll be putting this on, be right back."
"You can change here." Leon shouts after him. "I don't mind seeing your hairy legs."
Patrick makes an undefined sound as he disappears to the bedroom and returns in the new outfit for Leon to inspect the results. Leon walks around Patrick unnecessarily long, saying „Hmmm.“ a lot until Patrick looks like he’s about to scream.
"'Hmm' what? Does it look alright?"
„Jacket.“
„What? Not too formal?“ Patrick makes a face.
„Trust me, you can pull it off.“ Leon says, feeling timid all of a sudden, not wanting to bring up the discussion again. It’s been a delicate topic, ever since Claire commented on Leon’s suit not quite fitting him. But it’s the truth. Patrick looks better in suits than Leon ever could. Especially the jackets seem so effortlessly natural on his slim shoulders, he wears them like t-shirts, like he's born in them.
„That’s a good one,“ Leon swallows after Patrick’s put on a dark jacket, one of Leon’s personal favorites. „Not bad at all! You happy?“
Patrick raises his hands, pointing at both sides of his head. „What about my hair? Should I do anything with it?“
Leon freezes. He loves Patrick's hair, so doesn’t want Patrick to mess with it. Then again, this is his chance.
„Let me see,“ Leon walks over to him, giving him a lopsided grin and reaching for the dark curls. Patrick gasps, mouth parted open a little, like he wants Leon to kiss him. Couldn’t be, right? He’s seeing someone later.
„Nah, looks good.“ Leon concludes, taking his time to run his hands through the hair slowly. Patrick's eyelids flutter. He almost loses his balance once he steps back.
„Right. No. Nothing on the hair. Uh...“
He dashes inside the bedroom and brings out two small rolls of fabric. „Socks?“
Leon laughs. „You’re going to let me pick your socks?“
„Well, I am a bit lost.“ Patrick's ears flush red.
Leon grabs the socks from the hand closer to him. „Let me do a sniffing test.“
„They’re clean!“ Patrick protests, only flushing more as Leon smells the pair rolled into a ball.
„Mhmm. Yeah, this one.“
„Thank you.“ Patrick snatches the ball from him, turning his back on Leon to check quickly for the smell while the throws the discarded pair on the sofa. He then unrolls the chosen socks, hopping around while putting them on.
The more endearing he looks, the more conflicted Leon feels about this project. Sure, Patrick said the magic words („I need your help, Leon.“), and Leon’s never quite learned how to say no to that, but as amused as he feels, his chest is clenching a little more with each silly request of Patrick’s. Maybe, just maybe, just today, he does not want to be taken advantage of, if the dress up is for someone else anyway.
Maybe he’ll get stood up, and then they can still go to a bar together?
Patrick is impossibly red in the face, and Leon is starting to get suspicious. He’s never been an undercover guy, more an intel agent rather than a field agent. Therefore, his poker face is not the best around. Not that Leon cares for a poker face. He’s come to appreciate the openness of their relationship. Which is exactly why this all feels like a strange development.
„Right. What scent?“
„The one you always use,“ Leon says without even thinking. The memory of it is enough to make him tighten a little inside. He likes the way Patrick smells, it’s been on him more than once when he goes back home from one of their meetings. It makes him realise how close they’ve been and how much time they’ve spent together. Patrick has snuck his way into Leon’s life little by little, with each act of fondness.
And he hasn’t been missing that Patrick has been enjoying it too. He’s been well aware of their hands brushing and heads tilting towards each other in a conspiratorial manner whenever their talk gets more intimate. He remembers all the half hugs and half cuddles, Patrick’s arm around his shoulders, the warmth of his neck and wondering how he would taste like, Patrick at the table with his head on his palms and looking at him with the softest eyes, making it hard to tell if he was drunk half unconscious or just smitten with Leon.
They have most definitely been flirting. Several people watching them have been suggesting getting a room, which only encouraged the silliness.
Something’s fishy, and it’s not Patrick’s socks. It’s not possible he could have misinterpreted it.
„You want me to choose a tie for you?“
„Tie for a date?“
„Just as a test. Do it for me? We’ll see if it looks good.“
Patrick seems convinced and takes out two ties for Leon to choose from. This time Leon reaches out and snatches the tie to knot it himself, lifting the collar as he needs it.
„Are you shaking?“ Leon says, laughing softly. „My god, she is making you that nervous? It’s just a date. Do you want to rehearse how it’s done?“
„I’m not shaking.“ Patrick wiggles in and out Leon’s personal space.“ Just, er… And it… it wouldn’t be the real thing.“
„Do you want it to be the real thing?“
Patrick just gapes at him. God, he looks like a puppy. People who have told Leon he is like a puppy have not met Patrick.
Leon moves in closer, ready for a hug as his hands work around Patrick's neck and shoulders, taking their sweet time to rearrange the tie.
It’s not Claire, is it? He’s not trying to break it down to Leon like this that he has a date with Claire? Ask for his „permission“ or something? That stings a little. Patrick going out with a stranger is kind of acceptable, but putting a well-known face to the other person would hit different.
Finally he adjusts the tie, tugging at Patrick’s collar. Patrick closes his eyes. Maybe Leon should make a move. His fellow agent might be melting in front of him any minute, and Leon would have to explain to HQ why one of their best men has turned into goo.
It’s so stupid, but Leon doesn’t want this little game to end.
„Any makeup plans I can help with?“ Leon says. „I can think of some colors that would really work on your face.“
„Ahaha! No. Maybe another time.“ Patrick opens his eyes and grins, checking Leon’s reaction.
How can it mean anything else than what Leon thinks it means?
There is no way how to end the awkwardness. Leon brushes down the lapels of Patrick’s jacket without quite stepping back.
„All done, I guess. Anything else you need?“
„Uh. Yes.“ Patrick looks like a deer in the headlights, forehead wrinkled and eyes widened. „I, um, still need a date.“
„Huh?“
Patrick closes his eyes, wincing.
„I’m sorry, it was a bluff. I don’t have a date. I want to be with you.“
„…“
„As in… be with. You.“
Leon needs a moment to process what he’s feeling. There’s a bit of an annoyance about this being a joke of sorts. But he’s been tricked way worse before, and he’s not one to hold a grudge.
„So, there is no other person?“
„There is no one whatsoever! I just had no idea how to ask you out... And I thought, if you’d have to refuse, you’d at least be amused that you got to dress me up and we’d have a laugh and hang out like before.“
Leon’s grin starts to show again.
Patrick winces. „I’m really sorry. It was not supposed to go for this long! Actually, I gave you two minutes until you’d see everything through. And I was planning on telling you the moment you didn’t look like you liked the idea. But you were enjoying yourself, and I wanted to keep you here until I figured how to do it. Don’t be mad please?“
„Why would I?„ Leon shrugs. „Hey, I did play along, right? Did everything you wanted."
Patrick bites the corner of his lip. "You did. You weren't even... asking who it is, so I thought maybe you weren't even caring about it."
"Maybe." Leon smiles. "Maybe I’m just a big boy with a big heart.“
Patrick grunts, his head landing on Leon's shoulder. He slides his hands under Leon's jacket to grab his waist. Leon hugs him in return, cuddling him close and squeezing his shoulder, feeling relief wash over him. There is no one whatsoever. Unless he wants to be that one. Should he tell Patrick he wants to be with him too? Or is it obvious by now?
Their faces hover close together, cheeks touching, then Leon's lips find Patrick's. Leon's hands run through his curls again, keeping him gently in place as they kiss, this time with no intention of letting go.
Patrick's hands grab the shirt underneath Leon's jacket, fingers softly digging into his skin. There you go. All yours now, Leon thinks.
"We could have done this ages ago," he says out loud instead. "Although I wouldn't have missed the fooling around for the world."
"Oh god I like the fooling around," Patrick says. "If nothing else, I would hate for it to change."
He chuckles and lifts his head, brushing their foreheads together.
"Are you scared?" Leon teases.
"Of course I'm scared!" Patrick snaps in a whispering tone, and then he grabs Leon's face and kisses him without thinking.
Oh he is totally going to date this guy.
Leon weighs the options of taking him out or staying here, where could undress Patrick again, undo all the good work he did. Or maybe they could prolong this whole dance a little more.
"Still want to go out?" Patrick asks, like he is reading his mind.
"Hmm," Leon says. "It would be a shame if you didn’t go on a date, because you look good enough to eat. If I do say so myself.“