darker_london | Mania (Thomas, Peter, Abby)

Thomas loved animals. He always had. He was someone who would get down in the dirt and roll around with the dogs, in a human vs canine wrestling match and then turn around and baby talk a kitten. He loved them all. When Peter stopped by for a visit, Thomas was sitting on his bed, rolling a bouncy ball between his hands while Errol the cat chased it around the bed. And Thomas was giggling. The sound was like music to Peter's ears, even if he didn't like animals very much at all.

Thomas looked up to see Peter in the door, looking wary. "Peter!" He exclaimed happily, followed by, "Ow! Ah, he got me!" Distracted by Peter, Thomas had looked up and Errol had taken the opportunity to grab for the ball. "He's a feisty one! Come over."

"Er...he looks angry." Peter entered the room, but he stayed very close to the wall.

"Errol looks anrgy? Peter, he's the happiest cat ever. You could pick him up by his back legs and he'd purr at you. But...you know...don't."

"You'd have to touch him to do that. I don't wanna touch him..." Peter peered at the cat who looked back at him, squeezing his green eyes closed in contentment now that he had the ball in between his front paws. "Will he jump on me?"

"You're such a sissy." Thomas shook his head. "You'll face Jillian, but Flynn's cat is too scary. Fuck, Peter."

"What!? I'm starting to know how demons thing, alright? I have no idea what that thing is thinking. But I believe it might have something to do with eating my face off if I were to fall asleep anywhere near it."

"You're daft." Thomas scratched behind the cat's ears and immediately Errol began to purr. "That's a good little boy, isn't it? Yes."

"You look like you're feeling a little better." Peter took a seat in a chair that was far enough away from the bed so the cat wouldn't jump on him, but close enough to touch Thomas if they both reached their arms out to each other. Every so often Peter would glance at Errol to make sure he was staying put, but mostly he appeared to be at ease.

"I suppose." Thomas smiled lightly, pulling Errol closer to him. Now that the game was over, Errol did not protest the movement. He was quite pleased to have Thomas hug him, which Thomas did because Errol offered enormous comfort. "How are you, Peter?"

"I totally hate my dad." Peter grumbled, sounding like the fourteen-year-old boy he had been when his father had died. "He's just....argh."

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Thomas' father hadn't exactly been a winner either and they both knew it.

"I just had to get out of the house. And who better to come visit than you?" Peter smiled at his best friend. "Thomas, I'm really glad to see you looking so well."

Thomas' face crumpled then, and he looked up to see worry immediately cross Peter's features. "Peter, you have to come find me! Jesus, why can't your visions work like this!"

Peter blinked and then he shook his head once. "Thomas...what?"

"Stop just sitting there and find me!" Thomas' voice was begging now. Pleading with Peter to find him. To save him from what he believed was reality.

"But...Thomas- No." It was clear Abby had told Peter that Mary and Spectre suspected that Thomas was mired in some sort of psychosis where he believed the real world and his safety was something he made up to comfort him while he was being tortured. But Abby had also said she didn't agree with their suspicions and Peter had believed her. Until now. "No, Thomas..." Peter slid off his chair and he knelt beside Thomas' bed, not caring that there was a cat there now. "Thomas, my brother and Morgana found you. You're safe."

"I'm not!" Thomas cried, his stomach twisting with desperation. How could he make them understand? "Peter, she still has me! She has me and it's horrible! Please!" Tears rose to Thomas' eyes and when he let go of Errol, the cat darted away, afraid now that things were getting emotional. "Peter, she's going to kill me."

"No, Thomas, she's not going to kill you." Peter was firm. "No one is going to kill you."

"GODDAMMIT!" Thomas had had enough. It was nice to escape his reality, sure. But it was frustrating when not a single one of his loved ones would take him seriously. They were all just sitting there, smiling at him. They weren't doing anything. Didn't they understand he was dying? Why didn't they understand?

Thomas didn't want to have to escape anymore. He wanted to be safe. For real. He reached out for Peter's wrists and even though he was weak, the shock of it caused Peter to yelp. "Fucking find me, Peter!" Thomas screamed at his best friend. "I'm going to die again! She's going to kill me!"

In his panic, Thomas started to shake Peter. Started to rise from the bed, in order to continue his frantic onslaught. Peter was having none of that, mostly because it could hurt Thomas. He fought back, grunting and straining until he was able to shove Thomas back onto the bed. From there, he straddled Thomas' waist and held his arms down. "Abby!!" Peter yelled. "Help me!"

Abby dashed into the room and though normally the idea of Peter sitting on top of her brother would have brought a laugh, she wasn't laughing now. "Oh my goodness."

"Spectre and Mary were right!" Peter said, not without regret.

"Don't do this, Peter! You have to help me!" Thomas begged him. "Help me! Please, help me!"

"I am. I am helping you, Thomas." Peter tried to soothe him while Abby raced back out of the room in search of her bag of doctory goodies. "I promise we'll keep you safe, okay? I promise."

"Peter, no!" Thomas saw Abby re-enter the room and she had a needle with her. They were going to drug him. Thomas turned his face to his best friend. "Peter, don't do this. Don't do this to me! Don't make me go back there!"

"We'll keep you safe." Peter promised him again and again and again. "Please, it's going to be okay."

"No, don't!" Thomas felt the needle enter his arm and then peace spread throughout his body. He stopped struggling, but he continued to stare at Peter as if his best friend had betrayed him. "No....I...she's...kill.." And then Thomas closed his eyes and he was dragged right back to his nightmarish hell.