Chapter Text
Pete sluggishly rolled over, burying his face in the pillow. He was painfully aware the alarm was about to go off in a few seconds, his internal clock honed to the time he woke up every morning. The sheets just felt too good, too untangled, too soft against his skin. The alarm has to be coming to ruin it. And like, okay. Church bells are realllllll ambient and everything but not when you’re waking up from the best dream. Pete could recite this one word for word at this point. It was this particular one. Where the barista from the Starbucks at 6th ave finally looks up from his latte art and writes his number on your cup? And you know he’s totally down, he’s been giving you the eyes all shift...so you’re just about to text him to meet you in the bathroom when-
Like some demented fortune teller, he was right. The wakeup sounds of Pete’s iPhone drifted gently around the room, bouncing off the beams in the high ceiling apartment. The sounds of Central Park started all too easily through his window too. It is 6 am in the city that never sleeps always seems like it should be a lot quieter than it is. When he was in the party crowd, they used to knock out around 4:30 at least. But these people below, honking their horns and drinking burnt bodega coffee, were the people with real jobs he used to make fun of. Now, and for a long time, he was one of them.
Through the haziness of the light filtering through the blinds, he grabbed the phone off the charger and quickly shut it off. This morning, like every morning before it, was no time for aimlessly scrolling. Time to get up, lots to do. Pushing off the covers, he lifted his head and shook himself away, hitting his face a few times before meandering over to the bathroom attached to his room. Pete sluggishly brushed his teeth, washed his face and studied himself for a second.
“Eye bags, for real?” he thought. Pulling at the skin a little, he opted to hit his cheeks a couple more times to get the blood flowing. Becoming a corporate slave, every man’s dream. He’d be his dad in no time. He shook his head at the thought of that and splashed some water over his pores. His day would hit overdrive as soon as he left his room, as life with kids often is.
He pulled on his usual hoodie and jean combo, never daring to walk around the house of his employers in just boxers. How messed up would it be if your boss knew you wore heart shaped hip huggers to bed? He chuckled a little to himself while padding down the hall to the kids room. The sleepy looking mother of said kids wandered past him in a robe, hair askew, muttering to herself about an expense report.
“Good morning, Mrs. Pierce” he whispered, stifling a laugh that would get him fired, for sure. “Coffee should be ready in about ten. Depending how well they do” He smirked, jerking his thumb towards the room he was headed for.
“And that is why you’re the best nanny on the east coast” she laughed, her eyes still half shut. She wandered into the hall bathroom and shut the door, where she usually shocked herself awake with a cold shower. He walked past the master bedroom where Mr. Pierce snored loudly, each breath like a chainsaw.
“He won’t be in until ten.” Pete thought, making a mental note. Although his main responsibility was tending to the kids, it was easier to navigate if he just knew how the whole house operated. He was one of a few staff, but he was the only live in. He was here night and day, sometimes watching around him as the place worked with machine-like precision. He shook his head a little to get himself fully awake and knocked on the kid’s door before pushing it open.
“Goooooood morning, little monsters!” He said in the most enthusiastic voice he could muster for 8am. The kids must have felt this energy as they each made their own noise of disgust. That is, except 2 year old Cody, who was bouncing on his crib mattress in excitement to see Pete. The nanny happily half-jogged to pick him up, wiping down a piece of hair that had learned to stand up on it’s own overnight. He strode back over to the bunk beds, delighting the bouncing toddler on his hip. “Up and at’em, you two, come on” He jostled the frame slightly with his free hand. Lily, who seemed to be 11 going on 30, pushed her pillow over her head. Her brother Emil on the bottom bunk followed suit.
“Mornings should be illegal.” She groaned, reluctantly sitting up. She tried to fix her haphazard bed head while her eyes adjusted to the light.
“Morning!” Cody exclaimed, clapping his tiny hands together.
“This is criminal” His brother Emil commiserated. Pete rolled his eyes.
“All drama kings and queens need to brush their teeth before breakfast. I’m sure that Andy will make you pancakes if I ask nicely.” The idea of sugary breakfast food made them perk up a little more, but the two sluggishly headed into the bathroom, pushing each other if one got too close. “Uniforms are on the dresser, if your mom sees you without shirts tucked in, I won’t be able to save you from her wrath.” Pete laughed a little, turning to Cody as they walked downstairs.
“Can you say crazy?” he asked his companion. Cody just blinked a few times, looking confused. Andy was already downstairs when he hit the kitchen. Pete swore this dude had to be up at 4am every day, doing pushups to the sunrise while the rest of the world was still conked out.
“My dude, we’ve been at this for years now.” He pulled out the coffee grinder from above the stove with a grin. The good beans were behind the back, for some reason all these rich people could stomach was just your average Folgers. Luckily, they had a thing for not looking at the receipts when groceries were bought, so with his professional checkbook, he could get away with some little perks for himself. “Personal chef includes personal coffee maker too” Pete poked his bulky arm and smirked, the chef stayed silent with a smile and turned around to sauté some fresh onions. The smell was intoxicating and Pete’s stomach involuntarily growled as he popped on the instant garbage for the parents, grinding up some beans for pour-over for himself.
“I don’t make that crap” He said in a voice that didn’t match his body-built stature at all. A voice Pete was very familiar with over the five years they’d worked together in this house, but a surprising one nonetheless. “Also you don’t sign my paychecks!” he concluded, laughing. Pete’s stomach protested again, louder this time. He set Cody up with some bite sized rice puffs and snagged a few himself.
“Rank.” Andy remarked. “Omelet?” he said, raising an eyebrow and pointing his metal spatula towards Pete’s loud friend. The nanny nodded.
“But don’t treat me like the kids and try to give me that fake egg sh-” He was interrupted by the sound of small feet barreling down the stairs. Cody lit up like a firework at the sound of his siblings running down the stairs and banged excitedly on the table of his highchair. Rice puffs flew in every direction, lazily snapped up by Jones, the Pierces’ 10 year old Finnish Lappund. Pete laughed and rubbed his head, more gray fur then black at this point.
“Gooooood morning Pierces!” Pete cheered, remembering to keep his tone down just a little, trying to have a small shred of respect for the still sleeping patriarch of the home. “Inspection!” He said, saluting them both. They happily agreed, scrambling over to present themselves to their caretaker. Pete looked them over, remembering just five years ago when he had to dress them for first grade. Now they could put on their own blazers and khaki pants, it almost brought a tear to his eye.
“Emil, how do you have a stain on your shirt already?” He said, pointing to the tie. Emil looked surprised and looked down quickly, only for Pete to snap his finger up and flick him on the nose. “Just kidding, you both look fine.” He snickered. Emil slapped his hand away with a laugh.
“That joke is almost as old as you are dude, stone age” Emil barked, climbing up to a seat at the counter. His sister snickered next to him.
“If you’re so used to it, why do you keep falling for it? Hm?” Lily poked at her twin’s side and he jerked away with an eyeroll.
“So where’s these pancakes we were promised?” Emil asked, tilting his head to one side. Pete’s stomach instantly fell with regret. He forgot to ask Andy, this kids would go to school moody and-
“Right here” Andy said with a small smile, serving up two ceramic dishes piled with three pancakes each. They were covered in rainbow speckles, sprinkles baked right in. The kids happily dug in, scrambling to get as much as they could in their stomach before they had to leave for their day at Manhattan Preparatory. On a smaller plate, he handed some silver dollar versions of the real thing he had just served up, to Pete. Pete nodded with a smile and handed them to Cody, who happily dug into them by the fistful.
“Are you a mind reader?” Pete remarked with a small smile, cracking open a new jug of milk to put in Cody’s sippy cup.
“Nah, just five years of doing this makes a guy pretty knowledgeable on the clientele I’m serving” He smirked, serving up the green pepper and onion omelet just in time for Mrs. Pierce to walk down the stairs. She was put together pristinely, as always. She sighed happily and grabbed a seat for a moment to dig in. “Are they all ready to go?” She asked Pete, motioning her fork to the two gluttons across from her.
“Yes ma’am.” He remarked. “Homework and extra credit was done last night, science projects don’t go in until the end of this week but someone…” He motioned his hand over Lily’s head, hovering it there. “Needs to pick a topic before the twelfth of never.” Lily smiled sheepishly and her mom chuckled, sighing.
“That’s like...forever from now, I have so much time” Lily remarked, her brother silently mocking her. Lily jabbed his side a little harder this time, to which he responded with a pinch. They two tugged at each other’s coats until Pete separated them.
“Be nice for the car ride with your mom, you two. Speaking of which…” He pulled out his work phone, which chimed with a new text. “Your car service is here. I’ll let them know you’re on your way down.” Mrs. Pierce smiled, pulling out a small mirror to adjust her lipstick.
“This house would be lost without you, Peter” She grinned, snapping the mirror shut. “By the way, could you call Joe again today?” She asked, finishing a few small bites of her omelette before grabbing the purse she’d set down next to the counter. “The window in the bedroom is stuck and it’s really awfully drafty in there. The plumbing in the master bedroom seems to be shot again as well. I swear, buy an apartment in a pre-war building and it’s like everything isn’t even supposed to function.” She rolled her eyes. Pete nodded, pulling out his work phone to set a reminder to call the handyman later in the day, when Mrs. Pierce wasn’t home.
“Come, come. I can’t be late today.” Pete popped a to-go lid on her waiting cup of coffee before returning to the counter to sit by Cody. She ushered the kids down the long hall to the front door of their penthouse apartment. They grabbed jackets and backpacks off the hooks near the entrance.
“Bye Pete! Bye Andy! Bye Cody! Bye Jones!” Lily and Emil yelled behind them, tumbling out the front door. After it shut, as always, there was an eerie quiet in the house. Andy quietly served up Pete’s eggs and shut off the oven, taking a seat next to him. Pete grabbed a fork and dug in with the ferocity just a notch below what the Pierce kids had done moments before. He made some pour-over coffee between bites.
“What’s on your docket today?” He mumbled between bites, looking over to his companion. Andy had rolled up the sleeves on the chef jacket he had to wear. They could relax a little, as Mr. Pierce had stumbled out only a few minutes behind the kids and they were home alone. Andy shrugged.
“A few personal training sessions over in Tribeca...might grocery shop a little, I dunno. Hey-” He looked up from his tea, turning to Pete. “You said Joe was coming today?”
Pete nodded, setting his personal phone out on the table to scroll through Twitter. “Yeah...I’m gonna call him later though. Maybe around 3? Mrs. Pierce doesn’t get home until seven but sometimes she stops here for lunch. He really does not like interacting with her so I’m trying to avoid a run in.” Andy sighed a little, trying not to look disappointed. Pete, though under caffeinated and half full, saw right through him.
“Oh, I thought if you called him now, I might see him and say hi.” Pete cocked an eyebrow, picking up on the disappointment in his voice. Andy saw him and his eyes widened. “It’s not like that! I just...gave him some band recs and I wanted to see if he listened to any of them. I don’t really have a lot of friends, besides you, that are into hardcore.” Andy swirled his metal spoon around in the mug, not looking up.
“So that flirtationship has gone nowhere, huh?” Andy shook his head, sadly. “Besides, he’s probably not even awake. He plays guitar at some club in Brooklyn for some extra scratch and their shows go until like four in the morning.”
“I know, wishful thinking. We’re on totally opposite schedules anyways.” He sighed, finishing the last of his tea. He got up to start washing the dishes. Pete thought a little, wanting to make this work somehow. His friend was clearly dejected.
“Maybe I can get him to stop at around 4? Don’t you have something brewing for dinner tonight that needs to be prepped” he raised his eyebrows “eeeeextra early?” Andy caught on and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, maybe I do” he laughed a little, shoving the last pot into the dishwasher and getting the soap to run it.
“I’ll see you then” Pete smirked, picking up Cody to head upstairs and get him dressed.
The day progressed fairly normally, as most days do. They got some fresh air in the park and Pete was able to get a latte before they headed home. As much as he liked the solitude, he really was a social creature. But his life really didn’t match up with any of his friends anymore. They were content to party until 4, living off of trust funds. But that was never Pete’s way in life, and after a while it just all got too boring. He did miss having confidants, different than Andy and Joe. He thought about calling up his own friends, scrolling listlessly through his contacts. But he decided against it, pocketing his phone.
Around 2, he got Cody prepped and ready to go pick up his siblings from school. He planned out enough time and got on the phone with Joe, prodding him slightly as he could hear the trash TV in the background. He was just on his way out as they started talking.
“Well dude, I don’t know what to tell you!” The doorbell chimed loudly, so Pete jammed his phone in between his shoulder and ear to reach down. “She said she wants it done today. Plus you might see Andy if you come at the right time, dude. Mrs. Pierce is on me about this, I’ve gotten like ten texts already. Five of which are her asking for your number so I’m really saving you on this o-” He swung open the door, expecting it to be another one of the million packages this family got every day.
“I- Sorry, I think I’m a little early” A younger looking man stood in the doorway instead. It caught him off guard a little. He was cute, with sandy hair, glasses and a guitar case gripped firmly in one hand. He looked slightly out of place in the big doorway, but Pete had to assume he didn’t look like he was supposed to be on the other side of the door. Pete raised his eyebrows, taking his phone off his shoulder. Joe still prattled on the other end, the word Cougar coming up several times. But if there was anything Pete was sure of, it was that he hadn't ordered someone exactly his type to be delivered to his front door.
“It was their first time with me so I uh- didn’t want to be late. I’m sure you know how these um. Moms can get” “Uh- Patrick.” He jutted out the skinny arm not holding the guitar case. “The new guitar teacher for the um.” He whipped out his phone and tapped a few times. This motion was haphazard, as he had to maneuver the case under his arm. Pete chuckled a little at the display. “Theeeee….Pierce kids! Lilly and Emil. They live here, right? I mean- you look kind of young to be a dad to twin ten year old's” Pete laughed as this now non-stranger rambled on in front of him.
“I’m the nanny” he said, doing his best not to cut him off. “Or like...child care professional. If you’re one of my mom’s friends asking what her deadbeat kid is doing in New York City and I’m really sorry, but I have to get said kids from school.” Pete rubbed the back of his head and realized he was still on the phone with Joe. Patrick looked down at the phone and laughed, holding out his hand flat as an “It’s okay” gesture.
“I- hold on one second” He lifted a finger then the phone back to his ear. “Just get here today, dude. I don’t care if there’s a Springer marathon today. Make it 4, Andy’s eager to talk bands and...probably so much more with you” The nanny tapped the end call button, but not before hearing “He is?” from the other end. He shoved the phone in his back pocket and motioned to welcome Patrick inside.
“Is that the uh, butler or something?” The guitar teacher laughed a little, moving into the vestibule and setting his guitar case down. It was covered in all kinds of stickers, Pete made a mental note to examine these later. Snapping back to reality, he heard the question and caught himself confused for a moment.
“The bu- Oh! Oh the guy on the phone. No uh- that’s our handyman. Joe. We went to high school together, I got him this gig but he really can’t stand the people we work for.” Pete lowered his voice for the second portion, even though there was no one in the house to catch his bad mouthing. “You might meet him someday. Very poodle like fro and a knack for all things 90’s punk.” Patrick grinned, nodding.
“Sounds like someone I could really get along with.” He remarked, almost looking up at the nanny due to their height difference.
“You’re uh, more than welcome to join if you want?” Pete said with a sheepish smile. “In-um. Getting the kids, I mean. I-i’m the only one that let’s them ride the subway. They get really excited about it. It’s kinda cute if you- well if you like kids, which. I’m not assuming or anything. I mean just based on your line of work I-” He leaned on Cody’s stroller as the two year old strung a string of nonsense sounding words together, much like his caretaker was doing now. Patrick, realizing he was rambling, cut him off.
“Although I did just take the subway to get here, I think I can afford another swipe to avoid sitting in this old, creepy building alone.” He laughed a little, moving his guitar more inside so it would be out of the way of the stroller. “Besides, I think it’s bad judgement to leave the new guy alone around all the valuables.”
“It’s pre-war.” Pete laughed, sighing a little at his own stupidity.
“I figured.” Patrick remarked with a smile. “Let’s go!”