New Fic: Patterns

[jackwabbit]

Patterns

Fandom: Schitt’s Creek
Rated: G
Category: Quadruple Drabble. David/Patrick. Married Life. Touch of Angst. Touch of Humor.
Time Frame: Post series.
Spoilers: None.
Summary: We all have our patterns. And when we break them, people notice. Eventually, they just might figure out why. And if we’re lucky, they’ll accept our reasons.
Note: Written for the random word prompt of “confine.” I went with a main idea interpretation of this, but I think it still works. I actually had/have several ideas for this prompt (only one is dirty, you degenerates!), but I liked this one best. We all have to escape our voluntary confinements at times.

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David crossed through the living room, pulling on a jacket as he did so.

“I’m going for a walk,” he announced.

Patrick looked up from the papers on the coffee table and gave his husband a confused look.

“A walk?”

“Yes,” said David. “You know, that thing people do with their legs?”

“You mean that thing you never do without being forced into it?” asked Patrick.

“I walk plenty!” said David, reaching the door and leaning over to pull on his shoes.

Patrick gave David a skeptical look.

“Walking from the store to the café for coffee hardly counts.”

“It does too!” argued David, getting flustered. “And besides, maybe I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. Being more active or something. I would think you’d appreciate that!”

“And I would,” said Patrick, nodding. “I do. If that’s what this is. But you’ve got admit this is pretty unusual for you.”

David huffed.

“I just feel like going outside, alright?”

“Ok,” said Patrick, starting to get up. “Now I know something’s up. Are you feeling okay?”

David waved him away and pulled open the door.

“I’m fine! I’m just going out for a bit!”

And with that, David left. He marched out the door and pulled it closed behind him.

Patrick plopped back down on the couch and stared at the door for a second before letting out a short, disbelieving snort.

“If you say so,” he murmured.

Then he went back to the taxes.

He didn’t think much more about David’s unusual behavior, and when his husband returned a short time later, he greeted him with a kiss on his wind-chilled nose and moved on. He just chalked it up to David being David.

It took him longer than he’d like to admit to realize David did this every year at tax time. Or when Patrick got too involved in the books for the store. Or zeroed in on a project of pretty much any kind. In other words, when he got involved in something that excited him to the point of pestering David with questions and unbidden explanations.

When he did catch on, he never said anything.

After all, there were worse ways to take a break from things that annoyed you than taking a walk.

And if Patrick eventually used this particular habit of David’s to finally get him to agree to a dog, so be it.

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A/N: I started this fic with a few sentences of the usual “David is being David and Patrick needs a break because David is a lot” type stuff. Then I realized I didn’t want to do that. Patrick loves and accepts David as he is, so David isn’t a lot. He’s just the right amount of David. The same is true in reverse for David’s appreciation of Patrick. But no relationship is free of annoyances. And there is so, so much about David’s foibles out there that I wanted to delve into Patrick’s. David deserves some love, too. So here we are. David braving a chilly day to get the heck out of the house because Patrick is way too excited about tax exemptions or whatever and won’t shut up about it. Word, David. Word. And Patrick? Way to go eventually figuring it out but being okay with it. We’re all annoying sometimes. Love you, buddy, but yeah. Let the man go for his walk.