Little Brothers.... (Peter, Jeremy)
Peter looked up from his work when he heard someone open his door. The person hadn't knocked, and Peter wasn't surprised at all to see his younger brother standing there with a roguish smile on his face. "Hey, Petes! What are you doing?"
"Currently?" Peter asked dryly. "Objecting to being called 'Petes'. What are you doing?"
"Being restless," Jeremy sighed. "Seriously, how can you sit here all day and read these scrolls?"
Considering Peter actually spent most of his time chatting with things which could kill him with a pinkie finger, even if his death wouldn't last, Peter found the scrolls relaxing. "I'm finishing up my PhD. But I suppose...I am a bit of a nerd. I read them here, then I go home and spend time with the kids and the wife and then I read more of them when I can't sleep.
"Fascinating," Jeremy lied. "Though I just spoke too your missus because she totally loves me, and she said she's staying at her parents' house with the kids. Trouble in paradise?"
"Not at all," Peter said easily. "They do it at least once a fortnight. My in-laws have lost two children in two years, not to mention a beloved son-in-law years before that. Aly is all they have left. I join them too, but I do like to use the opportunity to finish up my thesis research."
"Peter?" Jeremy asked, his eyebrows raised, "You know I know that's all crap, right?"
Peter did not know, and he proved that with an incredibly unintelligent, "bwah?"
"You're burying your nose in your scrolls when you can, so you can forget what happened to you in Rome. You're ignoring your own pain. You can't drink for it, so you're doing this. And I wouldn't have noticed, were it not for my rather impressive display of Doing Just That recently. I yelled at Rovena and I have no idea where she is now. I'm not letting you get to that point."
"I wouldn't yell..." Peter said, still sounding perplexed. Was he really repressing?
"No. But you'll stay here later and later at night until eventually you just spend the night, ignoring the family that needs you because seeing them means facing what can be taken away. Come on, Peter. You know I'm right. Or...Liz does."
The idea that his siblings has been sitting around, discussing his well-being behind his back might have upset someone else. Not Peter. To Peter, it reminded him of the way things used to be with Liz and Margaret, his two older sisters, before Margaret had died. Now Peter had two siblings again, and even if one was younger, they were still caring for him. "I guess...I do. I mean, I have been-"
"Get up," Jeremy said, holding out his hand so Peter would take it. "We're going out. No arguing."
Peter felt Jeremy grab him, and as he was pulled away, he looked back at his work sadly. "But...my scrolls!"
"Forget your stupid scrolls!"
"They were in Latin," Peter said sadly.
"My arse is in Latin," Jeremy grumbled. It made no sense, but it made Peter giggle anyway, all the way to Peter's snazzy James Bond car. "I'm driving," Jeremy informed his brother, and Peter didn't even fight, he just handed over the keys.
By the time they reached their destination, Peter was quite sorry he had relinquished his keys. "You have got to be kidding me," Peter grumbled, looking up at the tall building which advertised and inside bungee jump.
"I would have taken you to the bridge jump, but it's too cold," Jeremy said with a shrug.
"Oh nonono, I'm not going in there." Peter promptly locked his doors while Jeremy was outside. Jeremy gave his brother a hassled look through the window, and then he held up the keychain with the electronic key. He pressed it and opened the door before Peter could lock it again. "Balls."
"You are such a pussy, Peter," Jeremy hissed before pulling Peter out of the car. "Come on." Jeremy knew that Peter was actually quite the opposite. Or he usually was. But he had been kept captive in Rome, and since then, he had been forced to see horrible things simply to try to save the people he loved. Peter was Jeremy's hero, and Jeremy desperately wanted that to remain true. He wanted Peter to reclaim that brave side of himself because if Peter couldn't be brave, Jeremy couldn't be.
Somehow, Jeremy managed to drag Peter inside and all the way up the platform. He held Peter in place while Peter was strapped to the elastic bungee and then told to jump whenever he was ready.
"What if that's never?!" Peter asked, panicked, but the guy was already on to something else and Jeremy and Peter were alone.
"Peter," Jeremy patted his brother's shoulder. "You're going to bounce back. No matter what, you always will."
Peter's eyes narrowed. "I thought I was the only one who taught with obvious metaphors. Using it against me is just unfair..."
Jeremy chuckled and he grinned when Peter looked over the edge. They were so high up... "Someone had to do it."
"Okay, I get it now, so can we just g-" And that was when his little brother pushed him over the edge of the platform and Peter was falling through the air, screaming like a maniac. Wind rushed in his ears and his eyes streamed. He closed them, waiting for the inevitable pain, but ti never came. There was a sickening lurch, and then he bounced up and down for what seemed like forever before they lowered him down to the ground and released him.
"How was that?" Jeremy asked when he joined Peter at the bottom.
"Oh...fine.." Peter's nerves were on fire, and adrenaline was rushing through his system, but that felt good, strangely enough. Then, through gritted teeth, Peter said, "next time, I'm pushing you."
Jeremy laughed loudly and he clapped Peter on the back. "Ah, I was only doing my little brotherly duty."
"Then you have a wedgie with your name all over it," Peter hissed as they walked outside. "You know, Jere...I'm going to be okay. So..you know...no more extreme sports?"
"That's up to you, Peter. The first step was a big one. Just make sure you take a second one, or you'll be back here next week."
Peter whimpered an agreement. Little brothers were such pests...
"Currently?" Peter asked dryly. "Objecting to being called 'Petes'. What are you doing?"
"Being restless," Jeremy sighed. "Seriously, how can you sit here all day and read these scrolls?"
Considering Peter actually spent most of his time chatting with things which could kill him with a pinkie finger, even if his death wouldn't last, Peter found the scrolls relaxing. "I'm finishing up my PhD. But I suppose...I am a bit of a nerd. I read them here, then I go home and spend time with the kids and the wife and then I read more of them when I can't sleep.
"Fascinating," Jeremy lied. "Though I just spoke too your missus because she totally loves me, and she said she's staying at her parents' house with the kids. Trouble in paradise?"
"Not at all," Peter said easily. "They do it at least once a fortnight. My in-laws have lost two children in two years, not to mention a beloved son-in-law years before that. Aly is all they have left. I join them too, but I do like to use the opportunity to finish up my thesis research."
"Peter?" Jeremy asked, his eyebrows raised, "You know I know that's all crap, right?"
Peter did not know, and he proved that with an incredibly unintelligent, "bwah?"
"You're burying your nose in your scrolls when you can, so you can forget what happened to you in Rome. You're ignoring your own pain. You can't drink for it, so you're doing this. And I wouldn't have noticed, were it not for my rather impressive display of Doing Just That recently. I yelled at Rovena and I have no idea where she is now. I'm not letting you get to that point."
"I wouldn't yell..." Peter said, still sounding perplexed. Was he really repressing?
"No. But you'll stay here later and later at night until eventually you just spend the night, ignoring the family that needs you because seeing them means facing what can be taken away. Come on, Peter. You know I'm right. Or...Liz does."
The idea that his siblings has been sitting around, discussing his well-being behind his back might have upset someone else. Not Peter. To Peter, it reminded him of the way things used to be with Liz and Margaret, his two older sisters, before Margaret had died. Now Peter had two siblings again, and even if one was younger, they were still caring for him. "I guess...I do. I mean, I have been-"
"Get up," Jeremy said, holding out his hand so Peter would take it. "We're going out. No arguing."
Peter felt Jeremy grab him, and as he was pulled away, he looked back at his work sadly. "But...my scrolls!"
"Forget your stupid scrolls!"
"They were in Latin," Peter said sadly.
"My arse is in Latin," Jeremy grumbled. It made no sense, but it made Peter giggle anyway, all the way to Peter's snazzy James Bond car. "I'm driving," Jeremy informed his brother, and Peter didn't even fight, he just handed over the keys.
By the time they reached their destination, Peter was quite sorry he had relinquished his keys. "You have got to be kidding me," Peter grumbled, looking up at the tall building which advertised and inside bungee jump.
"I would have taken you to the bridge jump, but it's too cold," Jeremy said with a shrug.
"Oh nonono, I'm not going in there." Peter promptly locked his doors while Jeremy was outside. Jeremy gave his brother a hassled look through the window, and then he held up the keychain with the electronic key. He pressed it and opened the door before Peter could lock it again. "Balls."
"You are such a pussy, Peter," Jeremy hissed before pulling Peter out of the car. "Come on." Jeremy knew that Peter was actually quite the opposite. Or he usually was. But he had been kept captive in Rome, and since then, he had been forced to see horrible things simply to try to save the people he loved. Peter was Jeremy's hero, and Jeremy desperately wanted that to remain true. He wanted Peter to reclaim that brave side of himself because if Peter couldn't be brave, Jeremy couldn't be.
Somehow, Jeremy managed to drag Peter inside and all the way up the platform. He held Peter in place while Peter was strapped to the elastic bungee and then told to jump whenever he was ready.
"What if that's never?!" Peter asked, panicked, but the guy was already on to something else and Jeremy and Peter were alone.
"Peter," Jeremy patted his brother's shoulder. "You're going to bounce back. No matter what, you always will."
Peter's eyes narrowed. "I thought I was the only one who taught with obvious metaphors. Using it against me is just unfair..."
Jeremy chuckled and he grinned when Peter looked over the edge. They were so high up... "Someone had to do it."
"Okay, I get it now, so can we just g-" And that was when his little brother pushed him over the edge of the platform and Peter was falling through the air, screaming like a maniac. Wind rushed in his ears and his eyes streamed. He closed them, waiting for the inevitable pain, but ti never came. There was a sickening lurch, and then he bounced up and down for what seemed like forever before they lowered him down to the ground and released him.
"How was that?" Jeremy asked when he joined Peter at the bottom.
"Oh...fine.." Peter's nerves were on fire, and adrenaline was rushing through his system, but that felt good, strangely enough. Then, through gritted teeth, Peter said, "next time, I'm pushing you."
Jeremy laughed loudly and he clapped Peter on the back. "Ah, I was only doing my little brotherly duty."
"Then you have a wedgie with your name all over it," Peter hissed as they walked outside. "You know, Jere...I'm going to be okay. So..you know...no more extreme sports?"
"That's up to you, Peter. The first step was a big one. Just make sure you take a second one, or you'll be back here next week."
Peter whimpered an agreement. Little brothers were such pests...