darker_london | Deathday Anniversary (Peter, Robert) (Reply)

Robert was trying very hard to keep memories of being burned alive far from his mind, but it was difficult while he was alone. And here, in Liz's house, it was easy to be alone. The Kemp Manor was gigantic, even despite the fact that it had seven people living...or residing while dead...within it's walls.

And then an eighth person knocked and stuck his head into Robert's room with a politely curious look on his face. "Looking for company, Big Boy?" Peter asked, his lips spreading into a wicked little smile.

Robert chuckled and he put his book away, standing to greet his oldest friend. "Always. Nice to see ya, Peter."

"You too. Gosh, you're huge." Peter commented, as if he'd forgotten in the 36 hours since he'd seen Robert last. Robert was seven feet tall, though. Almost an entire foot taller than Peter. It was a tad confronting, no matter how long you'd known him. "I brought you things."

"You brough' me things?! It's David's birthday, no' mine." Robert had an inkling of why Peter would have brought him things though. He hadn't expected anyone to remember necessarily. But of course Peter would. Robert should have known. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Anyway, these things have nothing to do with birth. More the other thing." Peter walked over to Robert's bed and he plopped a bag on top of it. "Open it, before I steal them all."

Robert joined Peter, and he did just that, opening the bag and reaching for one of the packages inside. He opened it up and he found it full of little gummi zombies. Robert stared at them for a moment and then he looked up at Peter. "You're cracked, ya know that, righ'?"

Peter snorted and he nodded. "Oh I'm well aware. Keep going!!" His voice was eager because Robert hadn't gotten to the best ones yet.

Robert shook his head in amusement and he did as he was told. Eventually he unwrapped a bag of hard sweet skeletons, gummi ghosts, and a lighter with 'hot to trot' written on it, which made Peter fall to the mattress, convulsing with giggles.

"Ya know, if you were anyone else, I'd wonder why you hated me..." Robert said, chuckling. And if anyone had reason to hate him, it was Peter. Peter had been the one Robert had sold out to the Templar. For his own good, but Robert had had no idea of the nefarious things the Templar would do to him in that time, nor did he know the chain of events that would spring from it. People had died because of the things he'd done and the choices he'd made. Including himself, burned at the stake. And instead of holding all of the things Robert had done against him, Peter forgave him. And then, he took the stigma out of the anniversary of Robert's death by giving him absurd gifts which served to make Robert less uneasy about mentioning anything about his death. That was what Peter did. And he did it in ways no one else ever would.

"Ah, on the contrary." Peter said, his voice still laced with mirth. He wiped a tear of laughter from his eye as he sat up. "You are to use that lighter to wreak your revenge, my Very Tall Friend. And the rest of the stuff...yeah, that you're supposed to eat..."

"Well, thank you. For rememberin'. And givin' me the weirdest presents in the world..."

"Anytime." Peter looked up at Robert and he gave him a sweet smile. "Robert, I'm really glad you're here today. If you weren't...I'd be moping around, remembering it was the day that Asshat Dragonetti delivered me your ashes. Instead, I can spend it with you. You want that, right, you wouldn't rather be alone?"

"Oh hell no." Robert shook his head emphatically. "I keep...rememberin' it."

"Icks." Peter stood up and he offered his friend a hug which Robert gratefully accepted. "Let's talk about happy things then. Kat and Alessa's wedding. And Thomas, Mary and Spectre's!"

"I'm glad Thomas is letting me come." Robert said, reclaiming a seat once the hug was over. "Wouldn't blame 'im if he said no."

"Thomas is very forgiving when it comes to himself." Peter said, patting Robert's knee as he himself took a seat. "It wouldn't have been the same had you done it to Spectre or...me. But you didn't."

Robert looked shaken by the very thought and he shook his head. "I wouldn't! I...it was supposed to be something casual. I wanted to be with Thomas in a casual way and I assumed he would too. Because I am an idiot."

"Not an idiot. Just male." Peter smiled and he leaned back on the mattress. "But Kat told me you went out clubbing? Did you hook up?!" Peter looked intensely excited and Robert couldn't help but laugh.

"Is this the way it's goin' to go now? You asking me if I had casual sex after goin' to a gay club with a pink haired goddess? Ah, Peter. If you had asked me two years ago where we'd be now...it wouldn't be here..."

"Yeah, but two years ago, we were priests, running around with Abbott Brunhardt's boot up our arses. Come on, wouldn't you rather be having gay sex up your arse?!"

Robert squeezed his eyes shut as he laughed then. "Peter Kemp! You are the strangest ex-priest I know."

"Says the man wearing leather and purple sequins. Come on, tell me!"

Robert nodded then, because he wasn't going to get away with not telling Peter anything. Peter was like a human lie detector anyway...if he knew to look for lies... "Nice young bloke. One night thin'. It was good. Exactly what I needed."

"That's what I like to hear. The...what you needed thing, not necessarily the one night thing. Ahem." Peter looked up at Robert and he offered him a small smile. "Come have lunch with my family. And then we can go to David's birthday party, okay? Today will be a good day. No time for memories."

"Except the good ones." Robert amended, standing to offer Peter a hand up.

"Except the good ones." Peter agreed. And despite everything, there were rather a lot of those.