#happyyyyyyyy birthdayyyyyyyyyyy

[acanvasofabillionsuns]

(i wish we had) one more kiss

happy birthday to the rad, excellent, neat @main-chive!!! and thank you to @ratherstarryeyed for betaing!!

AO3 link!

Summary: Patton and Remus, through the years (or: 5 times Patton kissed Remus, and one time Remus kissed Patton) Warnings: there’s a few instances of non-consensual kissing? (it’s more Patton smooches him without warning than Remus not wanting to be kissed), a couple suggestive lines Wordcount: 2508

I

“Ow!” Remus cried. Patton skidded to a halt, turning around and running back to his friend.

“What happened?”

“I fell.” Remus pouted. “My knee hurts.” He propped his leg up so that Patton could see the scrapes on his knee.

“Oh no!” Patton tried to think what his mommy had done last time he’d scraped his knee. She’d cleaned it, and then put a bright blue band-aid with Mickey Mouse on it on his knee, and then kissed it to make the hurt stop. Patton could do that! “I can help!”

“You can?” Remus asked.

“Yeah!” Patton grinned. “We clean it off,” he patted Remus’s knee until all the little rocks that had gotten stuck on it fell off, “and then we put a band-aid on it, except since I don’t have any band-aids then we’ll have to skip that part, and then we kiss it so it stops hurting!” He bent down and placed a kiss on Remus’s knee. “There! All better!”

“Thanks, Patty!” Remus grinned.

“You’re welcome!” Patton beamed. He’d helped!

He stood up, then held out his hand to help Remus up too. Remus took it, standing up, then winced and frowned down at his knee.

“It hurts again now that I’m standing,” Remus told him, looking up at Patton with confusion.

“Huh,” Patton said. “Maybe we do need to go get a band-aid since we skipped that part?”

Remus sighed. “I guess. We’ll go back to playing once I get the band-aid, right?”

“Of course!”

“Okay.” Remus still looked a little put out, but he grinned at Patton anyway. “Bet I can beat you back to my house!” He took off running.

“No fair!” Patton cried, racing after him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

II

Remus was being spacey and quiet. Usually, Patton wouldn’t mind too much since the silence meant he could focus on his homework, but Remus had been quiet for long enough that Patton had practically finished it without being interrupted once, and he was bored and needed a break.

He poked Remus’s cheek. “What’s up with you?”

Remus startled and turned to Patton. “Huh?”

“You’re all…” Patton waved his hand in vague circles, “spaced out-y, and I’m not sure you’ve said five sentences since I got here. So what’s wrong?” He poked Remus’s cheek again for emphasis.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Remus said, immediately getting a pillow to the face for his attempt.

“Try again,” Patton told him.

“Roman and Logan started dating.” Remus wrinkled his nose, and Patton mirrored him. Weren’t they too young for dating? They’d just started middle school. “And that got me thinking…”

“Dangerous,” Patton teased, and Remus hit him with the pillow Patton had used to hit him not even a minute before. This was betrayal.

“I was thinking,” Remus began again, sticking his tongue out at Patton, who stuck his out right back. “Dating means kissing—among other things—and I’ve never been kissed before. What if once I start dating then whoever I date breaks up with me because I’ve never kissed anyone else before and I’m bad at it?”

Patton took all that in, thought it over, and then declared, “That’s stupid.”

“Hey!”

Remus scowled at him, and Patton continued, “Kissing’s easy and if someone breaks up with you because they don’t think you’re a good kisser then I’ll punch them.”

“How would you know what kissing’s like?” Remus demanded.

Patton rolled his eyes and kissed Remus. “There. See? Easy.”

“Hey!” Remus said, again, and so naturally Patton had to taunt, “Is that all you can say?” and start a pillow fight. 

(And if by the time they were done Remus had forgotten all about kissing, then all the better.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

III

“Paaaaaaattonnnnn,” Roman called as he burst into the art room, causing Patton to look up from his painting. “I need your help.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s this scene in our play where I just can’t seem to get the feelings in it right, and you’re always great at figuring out how to convey emotion like you want,” Roman pouted.

Patton sighed and set his paintbrush down carefully, brushing his hands on his jeans and standing up. “What do you need?”

Roman brightened. “So the prince is greeting everyone, and a handshake seems too formal but a hug wouldn’t be appropriate and I just don’t know what else could be done. Any ideas?”

Patton hummed thoughtfully. “Remus! Could you come help?”

“Sure,” Remus agreed, setting his brush and paints aside and coming over. “Whatcha need?”

“Roman’s brainstorming greetings from the prince in his play and I said I’d help,” Patton told him. “What about, like, a hand kiss?”

Roman’s eyes lit up. “Genius!”

“Oh, oh!” Patton added excitedly. “The love interest comes in with the rest of the people the prince greets, too, right?”

“Yeah?”

“What if he makes eye contact as he does the kiss, like—Remus, could I see your hand?” Remus gave him his hand obligingly, and Patton moved in front of him to bend at the waist and kiss the back of his palm, looking up and making eye contact with Remus as lips met skin. He ignored the zinging that went through him when that happened, tabling it for later to think over and scream into pillows about.

Patton dropped the hand and straightened, grinning at Roman. “Like that?”

“Oh, that’s perfect, thank you!” Roman said, flashing a grin at the both of them before rushing out of the classroom.

Patton hummed, pleased, and went back to painting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IV

“Patty!” Remus cried, popping into Patton’s vision. “Come play Spin The Bottle with us!”

“Okay,” Patton agreed, letting Remus take his arm and drag him a few rooms over, where Roman, Virgil, Logan, Remy, and Emile were all waiting. Patton plopped into an opening in the circle.

“Who goes first?”

“Nose goes,” Emile announced, and Patton smacked his nose immediately. Around him, everyone but Remy did the same.

“Oh no,” Remy said, grinning. “I’ve got to kiss someone. A tragedy.” Virgil, sitting next to them, shoved them.

“Don’t spin it on me.”

Remy placed a hand on their chest in faux offense. “Are you saying you wouldn’t want to kiss moi?”

“Don’t see how anyone would, honestly,” Virgil teased. Remy gasped loudly.

“Shut up and start the game, loser,” Remus taunted.

Remy rolled their eyes and twisted the bottle. It spun feebly, barely making a full turn before landing on Virgil, who immediately shoved Remy again.

“You did that on purpose,” he accused.

“It was the first turn, I was getting used to how it spins!” Remy protested.

Before they could keep bickering, Patton started chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” The others took up the chant.

Virgil sighed heavily and turned to Remy. 

“Don’t be too enthusiastic, now, or I might think you might like me,” they commented, smirking.

“A tragedy,” Virgil said, barely pecking them before pulling back. “If that’s not good enough for you guys then I’m leaving.”

“Fine,” Remus sighed. “You’re up, Virge!”

Virgil rolled his eyes and spun the bottle. It landed on Roman. Virgil glanced over at Logan.

“You chill with me kissing your boyfriend?”

“In the context of a party game, where the goal is to kiss the other players? No, how dare you,” Logan snarked.

“Just checking! Consent and all that.” Virgil leaned over and gave Roman a chaste kiss. “Your turn, Romano.”

“I’ve told you I hate that nickname,” Roman grumbled, spinning the bottle. It landed on Remus.  The twins wrinkled their noses simultaneously and Roman spun again. This time it landed on Patton.

“Oh, my prince!” Patton cried dramatically, falling sideways into his lap. “Ravish me now!” Roman snorted and pecked Patton’s lips lightly.

“Stunning. Best kiss ever,” Patton declared, sitting up as he did so. “Logan, I’m stealing your boyfriend.”

“Good riddance.”

“Hey!” Roman squawked.

Patton giggled and spun the bottle. It landed on Remus.

“The bottle certainly likes you tonight, huh?” He joked, trying to cover up his nerves at the thought of kissing Remus. He’d done it before! And this was just a game, one he’d agreed to join knowing that this was a possibility! (And, maybe, hoped it would happen. But that was a secret and even if that did, hypothetically, happen, then he was reconsidering now that he was about to kiss Remus and his stomach had turned into a swarm of nervous butterflies.)

“Not as much as I like you.” Remus winked and oh, goodness, was he trying to make Patton’s face burst into flame?

“Just kiss,” Remy heckled, and Patton huffed and kissed Remus. It barely lasted longer than the time it took to press their lips against each other, but Patton still felt the butterflies burst into fluttering, and he barely held back a shiver.

He pulled back and wrinkled his nose at Remy, asking, “How’s that?”

They grinned, almost shark-like. “Fantastic.

“The only thing that could be better,” they continued dramatically, “is if someone would come and accompany my lips. They’re very lonely.”

“I just kissed you like two minutes ago,” Virgil pointed out.

“And you were perfectly lackluster, but they’re still quite lonely,” they assured him. He rolled his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

V

Patton was going on a date, with Remus, and he thought he might vibrate out of his skin from excitement. Or maybe nerves.

He’d been wanting this for years! Resigned himself to simply pining quietly for his best friend, like some fanfiction character! But here he was!

They’d gone to Waffle House and now were sitting on swings and talking. It felt like any other time they’d done this, but adding the label of a date sent a thrill through him whenever he thought about it.

“Toilet seat for your thoughts?” Remus offered. Patton giggled, tipping his head back to stare at the sky happily.

“I’m thinking about… how happy I am to be here with you,” Patton said. “I’m really glad you said yes.” He looked over and grinned at Remus. “Is that too sappy?”

“We can be too sappy together,” Remus declared.

“Perfect.”

All too soon Patton was checking his phone and wincing at the time. “We should probably go home.”

“Boooooo.” Remus gave a thumb’s down and stuck his tongue out.

“It’s nearly two am,” Patton pointed out, not any happier about it. “We’ve got school tomorrow.”

“We could skip,” Remus offered. “Spend the day making out and dodging any adults we come across.”

“I don’t...” Patton trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.

“We don’t have to!”

“I wouldn’t mind skipping with you, but... I don’t think? I’d be comfortable? Making out. With you. Or anyone.” Patton twisted his fingers nervously. “It’s just so new, you know?”

“Oh! Okay! That’s fine, Patty, we definitely don’t have to do it tomorrow or ever, if you don’t want to,” Remus assured him.

“I think I would, eventually, but just… give me time?”

“Of course,” Remus told him. “Spend the day vibing with music and cruising around town in my truck?”

“I’d love to.” Patton smiled. “However, if we’re going to do that, then I would like to get some sleep beforehand, so. Walk me home?”

“If you must leave me,” Remus flopped backwards dramatically, raising a hand to his forehead.

“Dork,” Patton snorted, nudging him with his foot. Remus bounced out of the swing, grinning widely. 

“I already know,” Patton cut him off, and Remus closed his mouth with a pout. “You’ve already told me a dozen times this month, you can’t pout at me when I know what you’re going to say.”

Remus sighed. “Fair point.”

Patton beamed at him. “That’s what they call my… you know.” He rotated his hips suggestively, then took off running, giggling into his hands at the scandalized “Patty!” from behind him.

“What can I say?” He called back, slowing to a stop as Remus stayed where he was and trying to squash his laughter long enough to talk. “You must be rubbing off on me.” He cackled and took off again as Remus started to chase him.

He almost managed to make it to his house without being caught, Remus scooping his waist and slowing them to a stop at the beginning of their road.

Patton wasn’t able to calm his laughter until Remus was setting him down on his doorstep, having pulled him into a princess carry and walked him home.

“Goof,” Remus teased lightly, booping Patton’s nose.

“Your goof,” Patton countered, still grinning widely, and booped him back.

“Yep,” Remus sighed happily.

Patton beamed up at him for a moment longer, before chirping, “Okay! Goodnight!” then kissing him on the cheek and ducking inside.

(Remus stared at the closed door, fingers grazing the spot where Patton had kissed him, until Patton poked out of his window to tell him to “Go home and get some sleep, dummy!”)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I

“Do I even want to know?” Remus asked.

“Probably not,” Patton said, trying to smile winningly. Remus rolled his eyes and pointed to the counter, digging through the freezer. Patton hopped up obligingly, accepting the ice pack Remus gave him and pressing it against his lip. He’d taken the guy down pretty quickly—probably at least partially the shock factor of the friendliest guy on campus starting a fight—but he’d gotten in a couple good punches.

Remus came back with the medicine box and some vaseline.

“Wiggle your fingers for me?” he asked. Patton did, and Remus nodded. “Probably didn’t break anything, then. Good. Put the ice pack on your knuckles while I treat your lip?”

Patton did so, and Remus wet a paper towel and dabbed at the blood on his face.

“Did you win?”

“Yeah,” Patton grinned, then winced as it pulled on his split lip painfully. Remus winced in sympathy, taking some vaseline and smearing it gently on the injury.

“As much as I love it, you’ll probably want to not smile for the next few days, or at least be careful when you do,” Remus advised. “Also, I know it’s tempting, but don’t lick it, that’ll hurt more than help. If you keep applying vaseline regularly that should help curb the impulse.”

“Okay,” Patton agreed, half-smiling at him to try and avoid the pain of fully smiling. It sort of worked.

Remus smiled back, then asked, “Let me see your hands?”

Patton set the ice pack beside him and presented his hands to Remus, who took them gently in his own and examined them. He hummed consideringly, then told him, “I think these should be fine with just ointment to help with pain.”

“Well, y’know,” Patton raised his eyebrows enticingly. “I’ve heard kisses also help with pain.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“Well, we’ll just have to try that out, won’t we?” Remus asked, then kissed his knuckles gently, like an absolute tease who knew exactly what he wanted when he asked for kisses. (Not that he didn’t treasure every kiss from Remus, but still.) Patton whined softly, and Remus snickered before lightly kissing him on the lips.

“How’s that?”

Patton hummed. “I think it still hurts a little. We’ll have to try again.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Remus grinned and kissed him.