What's In a Kiss, chapter 2
Title: What's In a Kiss
Fandom: Chronicles of Narnia
Pairing: Peter/Susan, non-incestuous
Rating: PG-13
Summary: He always leaves her with a kiss. This Chapter - Makeup and fancy nylons do not hold good results for Susan.
Previous Chapters: 1
A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far. :D
Chapter Two - Lipstick and Nylons
When Susan turns eleven years old, she doesn't expect much. The War has officially begun and money is not something she often sees. She blows out the candle on her small birthday cake, and makes no wish, because she has told herself that it is selfish to wish for anything in these hard times.
The presents on the table in front of her are simple, but wonderful. Lucy has given her a piece of peppermint candy, Edmund has drawn her a picture of something she can't quite make out, and Peter has given her an old switchblade. She reckons he found it in the attic somewhere. Her father gives her a pair of nylons, which she's never owned before.
Her mother, however, gives her the best gift - makeup. For years she has watched her mother stand in front of the vanity, carefully applying all sorts of powders and creams and lipsticks to her face, and she's always been very intrigued by it all.
"Thank you so much, mum!" she squeals excitedly, going through the rouge and eyeshadow, and looking at herself in the compact mirror. "Oh, it's wonderful!"
--
The next day it is not so wonderful, and she thinks she might be having the worst day of her life.
The girls at school, one day her friends and the next her enemies, had not been pleased by the new, prettier Susan Pevensie. Margaret Lowenstein had glared and spat out the word, "Slut", which Susan knew the meaning of as a result of her dictionary games.
She is outside, surrounded by a crowd of girls who jeer and laugh at her. She cries as they advance, tearing at the nylons they cannot afford, slapping at her made up face. Her tears run hot and angry down her cheeks, but she is paralyzed and unable to stop them.
Susan had heard about bullies before from Edmund, had seen him come home in tears and bruises. She now thinks of how stupid she had been to tell him to "rise above" and "use your words". She sees how useless that advice is now.
--
When she comes home, hours later, she feels as if she has no more tears left to cry. Her body stings where the girls left nail marks, her clothes are ripped and she can't even bear to think of what her makeup looks like.
She reaches her front door and pauses, afraid to go inside. What will her family say? Her hand rests on the doorknob and she stands there, unmoving, for about five minutes.
Then, the door opens and she jumps at the shock. "Susan!" exclaims Peter. "Where have you been?"
And then he takes in her appearance, from her tangled hair to the broken buckle on her shoe. His face pales and he wordlessly takes her hand, pulling her inside and shutting the door behind him. He leads her to the sofa, and pushes her down by the shoulders to sit.
"What happened?"
Susan lowers her eyes to the floor, not wanting to look at him. She's embarrassed enough to be in this state, to have been humiliated and abused by her cruel classmates for no reason at all. To have her brother stand over her, concerned eyes boring into her, and see her this way makes her feel nothing but shame.
"Lucy!" Peter calls, and she bounces into the room. "Get some cloths and a pan of water quickly," he orders her, and she doesn't question him or ask what's wrong. She glances at Susan worriedly, but runs off to do what she has been told.
Susan finds her voice. "Where are mother and father?" she asks softly. She doesn't want anyone else to see her like this.
"They're out at Uncle Harold's and Aunt Alberta's," he says. "But that doesn't matter. Are you alright?"
He takes her face in his hands, examining her the way a doctor would examine a patient, running his fingers softly along the bruise on her cheek and her swollen lip. "Goodness, Susan, you're bleeding."
She brings her hands up to pull his away. "I'm fine," she says, but even she has to admit that she doesn't sound convincing. His hands stay on her face despite her soundless pleading, and she drops her own back down to her lap.
Lucy comes back into the room, her dress swishing around her ankles, and kneels next to them on the ground. She hands Peter a wet cloth, which he uses to dab at Susan's face, washing away the blood and smudged makeup. She tries not to wince, but cannot help herself.
"Oh, Su," says Lucy, touching her sister's ravished nylons. "What happened? Please tell us."
Susan feels like weeping at the thought of having to tell them, to relive what had happened. She shakes her head fiercely and blinks back tears, while Peter continues to mop her face.
"What's going on?" says voice, and Susan looks up to see that Edmund has entered the room. He leans against the doorway frame of the kitchen and crosses his arms. The sour expression on his face darkens, though his eyes soften at the sight of her. He has been through this before, and is perhaps the only one who can understand what she's feeling. Seeing him gives her the courage to speak.
She tells her siblings what happened, though she is careful not to tell Lucy and Edmund that she was called a slut, as they are too young to understand what that word means. Partway through the story, her voice breaks and she begins to sob, not wanting to continue. Lucy pats her knee in a reassuring manner, and Peter brings her even closer to him, allowing her to bury her face in his chest and cry. His other arm wraps around her, too, and he rubs her back gently, whispering, "It'll be okay" in her ear.
When she composes herself, he pushes her away slightly, forcing her to lift her head. "Susan, it doesn't matter what they think. They're just jealous of you. You're so much more beautiful than any of them and they know it. And everybody is upset at the economic status of the country, you know that. They probably thought you were flaunting your new things off to them."
At Susan's look, he hastily adds, "But I know you weren't, Susan, you're not like that. You could never be like that."
"It's just a shame you didn't bring your new switchblade to school," adds Edmund. "You could have really shown them." Susan chokes on a sob at the thought.
"Edmund!" cries Lucy.
"Ed," says Peter in a half annoyed, half amused voice. "That really would not have helped matters. Don't say foolish things like that to Susan."
He turns back to her, wiping away the last of her tears, and leaves a lingering kiss on her nose.
Abruptly he stands and pulls his jacket from the hook by the door. "I'll be back later," he promises. "Lu, go and get Susan cleaned up, okay?"
Lucy nods, and then he is gone. Edmund comes over to the sofa and helps Susan to her room, and she is so touched by this unexpected gesture from her closed off, anti-affection programmed brother that she begins to cry again.
--
Peter returns three hours later, with a black eye and a slightly crooked nose.
--
He kisses her to comfort her.
--
Read the next chapter here! ♥
Fandom: Chronicles of Narnia
Pairing: Peter/Susan, non-incestuous
Rating: PG-13
Summary: He always leaves her with a kiss. This Chapter - Makeup and fancy nylons do not hold good results for Susan.
Previous Chapters: 1
A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far. :D
Chapter Two - Lipstick and Nylons
When Susan turns eleven years old, she doesn't expect much. The War has officially begun and money is not something she often sees. She blows out the candle on her small birthday cake, and makes no wish, because she has told herself that it is selfish to wish for anything in these hard times.
The presents on the table in front of her are simple, but wonderful. Lucy has given her a piece of peppermint candy, Edmund has drawn her a picture of something she can't quite make out, and Peter has given her an old switchblade. She reckons he found it in the attic somewhere. Her father gives her a pair of nylons, which she's never owned before.
Her mother, however, gives her the best gift - makeup. For years she has watched her mother stand in front of the vanity, carefully applying all sorts of powders and creams and lipsticks to her face, and she's always been very intrigued by it all.
"Thank you so much, mum!" she squeals excitedly, going through the rouge and eyeshadow, and looking at herself in the compact mirror. "Oh, it's wonderful!"
--
The next day it is not so wonderful, and she thinks she might be having the worst day of her life.
The girls at school, one day her friends and the next her enemies, had not been pleased by the new, prettier Susan Pevensie. Margaret Lowenstein had glared and spat out the word, "Slut", which Susan knew the meaning of as a result of her dictionary games.
She is outside, surrounded by a crowd of girls who jeer and laugh at her. She cries as they advance, tearing at the nylons they cannot afford, slapping at her made up face. Her tears run hot and angry down her cheeks, but she is paralyzed and unable to stop them.
Susan had heard about bullies before from Edmund, had seen him come home in tears and bruises. She now thinks of how stupid she had been to tell him to "rise above" and "use your words". She sees how useless that advice is now.
--
When she comes home, hours later, she feels as if she has no more tears left to cry. Her body stings where the girls left nail marks, her clothes are ripped and she can't even bear to think of what her makeup looks like.
She reaches her front door and pauses, afraid to go inside. What will her family say? Her hand rests on the doorknob and she stands there, unmoving, for about five minutes.
Then, the door opens and she jumps at the shock. "Susan!" exclaims Peter. "Where have you been?"
And then he takes in her appearance, from her tangled hair to the broken buckle on her shoe. His face pales and he wordlessly takes her hand, pulling her inside and shutting the door behind him. He leads her to the sofa, and pushes her down by the shoulders to sit.
"What happened?"
Susan lowers her eyes to the floor, not wanting to look at him. She's embarrassed enough to be in this state, to have been humiliated and abused by her cruel classmates for no reason at all. To have her brother stand over her, concerned eyes boring into her, and see her this way makes her feel nothing but shame.
"Lucy!" Peter calls, and she bounces into the room. "Get some cloths and a pan of water quickly," he orders her, and she doesn't question him or ask what's wrong. She glances at Susan worriedly, but runs off to do what she has been told.
Susan finds her voice. "Where are mother and father?" she asks softly. She doesn't want anyone else to see her like this.
"They're out at Uncle Harold's and Aunt Alberta's," he says. "But that doesn't matter. Are you alright?"
He takes her face in his hands, examining her the way a doctor would examine a patient, running his fingers softly along the bruise on her cheek and her swollen lip. "Goodness, Susan, you're bleeding."
She brings her hands up to pull his away. "I'm fine," she says, but even she has to admit that she doesn't sound convincing. His hands stay on her face despite her soundless pleading, and she drops her own back down to her lap.
Lucy comes back into the room, her dress swishing around her ankles, and kneels next to them on the ground. She hands Peter a wet cloth, which he uses to dab at Susan's face, washing away the blood and smudged makeup. She tries not to wince, but cannot help herself.
"Oh, Su," says Lucy, touching her sister's ravished nylons. "What happened? Please tell us."
Susan feels like weeping at the thought of having to tell them, to relive what had happened. She shakes her head fiercely and blinks back tears, while Peter continues to mop her face.
"What's going on?" says voice, and Susan looks up to see that Edmund has entered the room. He leans against the doorway frame of the kitchen and crosses his arms. The sour expression on his face darkens, though his eyes soften at the sight of her. He has been through this before, and is perhaps the only one who can understand what she's feeling. Seeing him gives her the courage to speak.
She tells her siblings what happened, though she is careful not to tell Lucy and Edmund that she was called a slut, as they are too young to understand what that word means. Partway through the story, her voice breaks and she begins to sob, not wanting to continue. Lucy pats her knee in a reassuring manner, and Peter brings her even closer to him, allowing her to bury her face in his chest and cry. His other arm wraps around her, too, and he rubs her back gently, whispering, "It'll be okay" in her ear.
When she composes herself, he pushes her away slightly, forcing her to lift her head. "Susan, it doesn't matter what they think. They're just jealous of you. You're so much more beautiful than any of them and they know it. And everybody is upset at the economic status of the country, you know that. They probably thought you were flaunting your new things off to them."
At Susan's look, he hastily adds, "But I know you weren't, Susan, you're not like that. You could never be like that."
"It's just a shame you didn't bring your new switchblade to school," adds Edmund. "You could have really shown them." Susan chokes on a sob at the thought.
"Edmund!" cries Lucy.
"Ed," says Peter in a half annoyed, half amused voice. "That really would not have helped matters. Don't say foolish things like that to Susan."
He turns back to her, wiping away the last of her tears, and leaves a lingering kiss on her nose.
Abruptly he stands and pulls his jacket from the hook by the door. "I'll be back later," he promises. "Lu, go and get Susan cleaned up, okay?"
Lucy nods, and then he is gone. Edmund comes over to the sofa and helps Susan to her room, and she is so touched by this unexpected gesture from her closed off, anti-affection programmed brother that she begins to cry again.
--
Peter returns three hours later, with a black eye and a slightly crooked nose.
--
He kisses her to comfort her.
--
Read the next chapter here! ♥