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Joe doesn't really celebrate Christmas, but he's always been included in the celebration by his friends and in-laws. He likes watching their eyes light up when they set up and decorate Christmas trees, their smiles bright when they unwrap their presents. The atmosphere is so joyous and so infectious that it's impossible to be gloomy even for a second.
That's not the case this year, though. Fall Out Boy has been on a break long enough, so the management gets them on tour for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Joe watches quietly from the lounge as the singer-and-bassist pair huddle over Patrick's phone at their bunks, Facetiming Elisa and Declan for sure. He can't hear what exactly Declan is babbling about on the phone - it sounds too much like jargon than actual words - but he sounds animated and happy that his heart just warms up at the smiles spreading across Pete and Patrick's faces.
"Aw, Dec." Patrick sighs, his shoulders slumped. "Daddy misses you."
"I miss you too, baby D." Pete says, the sadness reflecting in his voice.
"Will you guys be able to come here for Christmas?" Elisa's voice come through the phone, staticky.
Patrick shares a look with Pete before shaking his head, face crinkled with something that Joe can't describe. "Can't. We're all booked, even on Christmas Eve."
"Dad and Daddy not here for Christmas?"
Joe rubs his eyes. Why are there dust flying around in the bus?
"Declan…"
There's something about Patrick's voice. Something tight, something that keeps it together from breaking, and Joe feels it resonant with his heart. He stands up from where he's sitting on and walks out of the bus, making sure to close the door gently after so they won't notice that he's gone, or the fact that he's even there in the first place. He's already intruded on their private time long enough, he doesn't need to stay any longer.
-
"-please! We can do refunds, or extra shows for New Year, appearances, or- or whatever, just please let us cancel this one time for Christmas!"
Patrick's voice travels through the air, and truthfully, after fifteen years together, Patrick has never sounded this desperate. He's a smart and independent guy; Patrick knows how to find his way around a problem, and he never asks, let alone pleads, for help from anyone. Not even from his bandmates. His friends.
So, hearing Patrick like this, it really breaks Joe's heart.
"Patrick, I know how much you want to spend the holidays with your family, but we can't just cancel shows last minute," their manager explains calmly, her voice gentle so as to not rouse the singer even more. "I'm sorry, Patrick."
"Katie, please." Patrick begs again as Joe continues to watch the scene unfold from behind the dressing room door. Andy is off to meet his friends at the gym, and Pete is out for a coffee run, so no one is there to witness the scene. No one except Joe, that is.
"I've never canceled shows before, you know that." Patrick persuades her. "Just this once, please. You can book us to any shows after that, as many as you want, but please please let us have those two days off."
"Patrick…" Katie sighs, the look on her face sympathetic. "I'm sorry."
She pats the singer on the shoulder before leaving the room, and Joe presses his back against the wall so she doesn't see him. Once she's out of eyesight, the guitarist peeks into the room, his throat tightening as he watches his best friend slumped on the couch, head in his hands and shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
He rubs his eyes. The arena has way too many dust flying around.
-
"Pete, c'mon, please." Patrick pleads to his husband. Pete looks up at Joe and Andy, none of them knowing what to say to Patrick's request. "Patrick…"
"Look, all we gotta do is fly back home after the concert, like, as soon as the concert's over, right? Then after a few hours, we fly back here." Patrick explains his plan once again to everyone. "Joe did that before. An hour's enough. Please, Pete?"
"Patrick," Pete begins, and he places his hand on Patrick's shoulder, "we won't have time. Even if the concert finishes early, we have an early morning performance the next day."
"We can make it," the singer says in desperation. "Pete, please. I'll pay for our tickets. I'll pay for everything."
Pete's right. They won't have time, and they're not going to make it in time for the next day's performance if they go back. Joe opens his mouth to say something, but before he can voice out, Andy holds him by the elbow, shaking his head.
Joe closes his mouth and watches the other two silently. It's getting harder and harder to deal with Patrick missing his kid and Pete's. He knows Pete misses them too, but Pete can hide it well. Patrick? Not so well.
"I'm sorry, 'Trick." Pete shakes his head, eyes filled with pity. "I can't let you do this."
Patrick's face turn red with anger as he stands up from the couch. "You won't let me see my own son now?"
"Patrick, I didn't-"
"I just want to celebrate Christmas with my family, Pete! My son! Your sons! Why is that so hard?!"
"Patrick-"
"No, you know what? Fuck you! Fuck the concerts! Fuck everything!" Patrick fumes and grabs his jacket on the armrest before storming out of the bus.
Joe winces as the door slams shut, the floor vibrating from the force. He shares a look with Andy, both not really knowing what to do. He shifts his gaze to the bassist, who is slumping and has his head buried in his hands.
Joe hesitantly walks over to Pete after getting a green light from Andy and sits down next to him. "Hey, man. You okay?"
Pete doesn't move or even make a single sound for a few seconds. Then, he takes a deep breath before standing up, but Joe notices that his face has turned red, his eyes a little glassy. "I'm going out for fresh air. I'll be back soon."
He leaves the bus before Joe can answer him. Joe looks to Andy. "What do we do now?"
"Just let them cool their heads off." Andy shrugs, though there's a hint of worry in his eyes. "They'll be fine after a few hours. It's not like they haven't fought before."
Joe can only hope so.
-
"Hey," Joe smiles at his wife on the screen of his phone, "how's the little princess doing?"
Marie laughs with her head tilted back, and, God, Joe misses her so much. "She's been rattling off what she wants for Christmas. And it's quite a list, I tell you."
Joe groans as he runs his fingers through his curly hair. "Please tell me it's not another car. You know I'm not really good at putting stuff together. Pete and Andy still won't let the issue go from last time."
"Hey, for what it's worth, you'll always be the number one mechanic in our hearts." Marie bats her eyelashes before laughing again. "So, how are you doing over there with the guys?"
"We're pretty good." Except for Patrick. And Pete. Patrick's been really down since his last conversation with their manager, and not even letting him win at video games can cheer him up. Pete, well, he absorbs other people's emotions like a sponge, and added to the fact that he can't do anything to make his own husband feel better, a grey cloud begins following him everywhere, and it's starting to affect everyone around him.
"I know that look on your face. Nothing's pretty good. What happened?"
The guitarists sighs. He can never hide anything from his wife. "It's just Pete and Patrick again."
"Are they fighting?"
"A little." Joe shakes his head, then he scans the area, making sure there's no one in earshot. "Patrick's been missing his kid. He tried to persuade Katie to cancel any performances on Christmas Eve and Christmas-"
"-but she can't cancel any, can she?"
Joe shakes his head again. "And I feel bad for him, y'know? I get that we've been on a long break, and to suddenly leave for tour and our kids behind?"
"How's Pete handling?"
"He's trying to cheer Patrick up, but nothing seems to work. There's just this depressing aura around them now."
"Andy?"
"Andy's been talking to Patrick, but same result." The corner of his lip pulled downwards in a frown. "I just want everyone to be happy on this tour. It's depressing to be depressing."
Marie offers him a comforting smile. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Get Ruby for me?" Joe looks at her hopefully. Talking about Patrick missing his kids really made him realize just how much he misses his little princess.
"Daddy!" The voice of his daughter exclaiming for him snaps him out of his thoughts, and a wide grin appears on his face. "Rubes! Did you miss me?"
Marie is settling Ruby in her lap while trying to hold the phone in one hand, but the toddler keeps squirming around to grab the phone from her mother. All the motion may have given him a small headache. Thankfully, Ruby manages to stay still, and Joe can see both his wife and daughter on his phone.
"Daddy! I miss you!" Ruby beams in the phone, and really, how can he not smile back? "I made a list for Christmas!"
"Why don't you tell Daddy what you want, sweetie?" Marie's amused voice comes through the speaker, and paired with that cheeky grin, Joe know it's nothing good.
Ruby giggles and leans back against Marie. "I want a spaceship!"
Joe's face blanches at the request, and it doesn't go unnoticed by his wife from the way she's laughing at him. Great. Where the hell is he going to find a spaceship? And how the hell is he going to put one together?
"Are you sure, Rubes? Don't you want something else?" Joe asks her, hoping that she'll change her mind. Sadly, his hope is crushed at her cheery answer.
"Nope!" Ruby exclaims, popping the p. "I wanna- I wanna be a p- pi… po…"
"Pilot, sweetie." Marie helps her daughter, still laughing, and Ruby turns back to Joe. "I wanna be a pilot like Rey!"
Joe smiles at the mention of the Star Wars character, and his heart just melts knowing that his daughter looks up to a strong female character, even if it's fictional. Then, as if a lightbulb lights up above his head, he turns to Marie. "Hey, I need your help with something."
Marie looks at him, confused, but she nods anyway. "Sure. What is it?"
-
It's already the night of Christmas Eve, and while all the interviews and performances and concert went well, the whole band can feel Patrick's sadness surround him like a grey aura, even as they're walking in to the hotel they checked in that morning.
The ride in the elevator is deadly silent, mostly because they're all tired, but Joe can't wait for one of them to start break the silence. And he knows who's going to break first.
They walk out when the door to the elevator opens at their floor, and before they split into separate rooms, Joe opens his mouth. "Hey, let's all go to my room. We can celebrate Christmas together."
"You don't celebrate Christmas, Trohman," Pete says dryly as he stretches his arms above his head. Andy makes a sound in agreement and yawns. "I just want to sleep, man. Today's got me beat."
"Patrick?" Joe looks to the singer for his answer. He knows that if Patrick says yes, then Pete will say yes too, and Andy will do the same.
Patrick shakes his head slowly, his whole posture drooped. Joe sighs silently to himself as they become silent again. "C'mon, guys. Just stay for, like, five minutes. Then you can go back to your room. Just until past midnight."
Andy raises his eyebrow suspiciously at him. "Why?"
"Still scared of the monsters in the closet there?" Pete throws a sideways glance at him with a smirk, and Joe swears he hears a small chuckle coming from Patrick. Well, he'll let Pete go just this one time.
The next time he does it, Joe won't be so merciful.
"Guys, come on." Joe says again, a little desperate when they've reached their rooms, Pete and Patrick's opposite his and Andy's. Pete already has his key card out, and Joe, out of ideas and time, grabs them both by the wrists and drags them to his room. "Just for a few minutes. I got you guys a present."
"Can't this wait until tomorrow morning?" Patrick asks, his hand flying up to cover his yawn. "We're really tired, Joe."
"Please?" Joe does his best to put on a puppy-dog look, the one that he always sees Patrick use on Pete, and occasionally on him and Andy. Andy snorts a laugh, and Joe hits him on the chest. "Shut up, Hurley."
"That's creepy, man. We're all going to have nightmares just from that." Andy looks at him in amusement, and then turns to both Patrick and Pete with a soft smile. "Well, a few minutes wouldn't hurt, right?"
Joe holds his breath in anticipation as Patrick shares a look with Pete, most likely having silent conversations with each other. Pete shrugs, and Joe knows that's a silent for "I don't mind."
Patrick furrows his brows before sighing. Joe's face splits into a grin. That's a "Fine. Whatever." sigh. "Awesome! You won't regret this, I promise."
He pulls out his key card and unlocks the door, gesturing for them to enter the dark room. He waits until all of them are inside the room before he finally places the card into its holder, and the room immediately lights up.
"Surprise!"
Joe watches his bandmates', Patrick's specifically, reaction from the side. Patrick's eyes are wide in surprise, his jaw dropping open at the small bunch of crowd standing in front of him.
"Daddy!" Declan cries out with a smile before trotting towards his Daddy. Patrick breaks out of his daze and runs to meet his son in the middle, scooping him up into his arms and hugging him. "Declan…"
Joe's heart clenches at the heartfelt reunion. He can see a small drop of tear roll down Patrick's face, and when he looks at everyone, Pete's eyes have become red, Andy smiling in content from behind, and the women are all wiping their eyes.
"Dad!"
"Daddy!"
Bronx and Saint run to Pete, and the bassist immediately crouches down to pull them both into his arms. "I miss you guys."
Pete lets go of Bronx, but he lifts Saint up in his arms, turning to Patrick. Patrick looks up from where he's buried in the crook of Declan's shoulder, and he beams when he sees the toddler in Pete's arms. "Saint!"
"Daddy!" Saint reaches his hands out for Patrick, and the singer carefully takes him from Pete and balances the two toddlers in his arms. "I miss Daddy."
"I miss you too, Saint." Patrick chokes out as he hugs them both tighter to his chest.
"How did you get them all here?" Pete asks once he dries his eyes with his shirt. Joe gestures to the three women on the other side of the room. "I got Marie to bring Lisa and Meagan here with the kids. Gave 'em our hotel and room number right before the concert."
Pete surprises Joe when he suddenly pulls the guitarist into a tight hug. "Seriously, Joe, thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know how we're able to pay-"
Joe wraps his arms around his friend, even though his back is starting to hurt a little. "Hey, now. You guys don't have to do anything. That's what friends are for."
When they pull away, Pete's eyes are pooled with tears again, and he wipes them before they can fall. "Joe," he says, voice tight.
Joe smiles, patting his back. "I know. It's okay, man."
Pete turns back to Patrick, and the singer passes both Declan and Saint to him before he walks to Joe, hugging him. "Joe, dude."
It's a fact that both Pete and Patrick are pretty emotional guys, and from their 15 years of friendship, Joe's no longer surprised when Patrick starts to cry.
He rubs his hand on Patrick's back, who is trembling with sobs. He glances up again, noticing that everyone is watching them with tears in their eyes, even Andy.
"Hey, it's okay, man." Joe comforts him, or tries to. He's not exactly the best person to go to for comfort. That's usually Pete's or Andy's forte. "Just let your dirty sadness fill me up like a balloon."
Patrick sobs out a laugh and sniffles. "Joe-" He cuts himself off with another sob, louder than the previous one, and his shoulders shake even more with each incoming sob.
So, his attempt at making Patrick laugh just results in making him cry even more. He looks to Pete for help, and the other seems to understand him as he walks over to them. "Hey, 'Trick. C'mon. I want a hug too."
Patrick finally pulls away from Joe, and he wipes his tears with his sleeve, chuckling. "Sorry. I guess I, uh, kinda got a little emotional there."
"It's Christmas, man. Tis the season to be jolly, right?" Joe slings his arm across Patrick's shoulder. Patrick laughs a little and takes Declan from Pete. "Yeah."
Joe walks over to Marie with Ruby in her arms, and pulls her to his side. "I really owe you this."
"Hey, it's no big deal." Marie smiles back, kissing his cheek as Ruby leans over to wrap her arms around his neck. Joe carefully holds Ruby, then looks to Elisa and Meagan. "Thank you guys for coming. Really. I know it's pretty last minute."
"It's okay," Elisa says, a smile decorating her face, though there are still hints of tears in her eyes. "The kids have been missing them, too."
"Yeah." Meagan agrees with a chuckle. "Besides, watching this whole thing is way more fun than Christmas movies."
"Probably the best." Marie grins, causing the other two to laugh softly. Joe looks at his watch, then whistles out loud to catch everyone's attention. "It's midnight, guys. Happy holidays and hohoho and all that sh-"
He yelps out in pain when Marie pinches his side, a glare on her face. "You wanna finish that sentence?"
"No." Joe sighs, his shoulders slumped. He snaps his neck in Pete's direction when Pete makes a whipping sound and laughs. "Shut it, Wentz."
"Hey!" Patrick cries out, indignant. "I didn't do anything!"
The room erupts into laughter as everyone wishes each other a 'Merry Christmas', hugging and smiling. They order a room service to celebrate, and even though the bill's going to come out high - the last minute airplane tickets for seven people even higher - Joe doesn't regret anything.
"Uncle Andy!" Bronx greets the drummer as he runs and leaps into Andy's arms, the man easily holding the eight-year old up. "You gotta teach me how to drum this time!"
"You got it, dude." Andy holds out his fist to Bronx. "Are you ready to walk down the drummer path?"
"Born ready!" Bronx bumps his tiny fist with Andy, and they walk to the bed where Andy takes out two pairs of drumsticks from his bag: one for him, the other for Bronx.
"We start with a simple beat. Watch this." Andy taps out a simply rhythm on the bed, Bronx paying full attention.
Joe looks to one side of the room, where Pete and Patrick are sitting on the loveseat, smiles never leaving their faces as they play with Saint and Declan. He doesn't miss the occasional pecks they sneak to each other.
When he looks at the window, Elisa and Meagan are reading the menu to order, though he's pretty sure there's a hotel brochure between the menu so they can check out the attractions.
Joe doesn't really celebrate Christmas, but he's always been included in the celebration by his friends. And even though there's no Christmas tree or presents, the atmosphere is still joyous in the room.
"Are you crying?" Marie elbows him, her lips quirked upwards and eyebrows raised in amusement.
"No." Joe scoffs, but he rubs his eye anyway. "This room has too many dust."