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The best part about the friendship between Peter and Thomas, was that the deep understanding they had of each other went both ways. Thomas knew Peter better than Peter knew himself, but Peter knew Thomas just as well. Thomas didn't need to spend hours explaining what had happened while he was in the clutches of Amaris and Brian. In fact, he summed it all up in one, amazingly precise sentence. "Peter, the icky man-woman thing touched me on my manparts!!" Peter frowned and he stood to hug Thomas tightly, the action in itself being somewhat of an anomaly lately as Peter hadn't done much standing up since August. Thomas held Peter tightly, so relieved to have his best friend back again. "I missed you. Not that I wanted you with me...but I missed you."
"I missed you too." Peter said, giving Thomas's hand a squeeze. "And I am keeping silent on the whole 'being with you' issue. I wish you hadn't been there at all. How...how did it even happen?"
"She found me in the park on my way to Spectre's. And I couldn't really get away... If I ran to your house, I led Amaris straight to Aly. If I ran to Spectre's, I led Brian to him. I couldn't do either. So I just...let her take me."
"Oh, Thomas." Peter's heart was filled with warmth for the things Thomas did for the people he loved. "You never cease to amaze me. Come on. Let's go on a walk. Anywhere but the park." Peter knew, without asking, that Thomas would want to be outside. Thomas was an outside person to begin with, and spending so much time locked in a tiny room unable to GET outside must have done his head in. Sure it had probably been the least of his worries at the time, but it was the easiest to correct right away.
"Are you sure you'll be okay with that, Gimpy?" Thomas asked, eyebrows meeting his hairline. Peter had trouble walking across a room, how was he supposed to handle getting around for a long period of time.
"Well I will be if you hold me. I mean like...hold...like I can hold on...oh bugger it." Peter rolled his eyes and he turned red.
Thomas snorted and he linked his arm with Peter's easily, supporting the other man as they headed outside into the London afternoon for a stroll. Thomas looked sideways at Peter who, despite appearing slightly pained because of the walking, looked like his old self again. "You look better." He commented, halfway to himself.
"I feel better." Peter said with a nod. "A lot better. Helping Razvan sort of...it reminded me who I was. Which I sort of forgot. It makes sense, that I forgot. So much has happened. But it's good to remember. To be me again. To HELP someone. It feels good." Peter took a deep breath of fresh air and he smiled. "And I'm going to have another little baby soon. And then another one. I get to go through teething and toilet training and teaching them to speak like 46 different languages three times allll in a row." Peter said with a laugh. "Won't that be...well..exhausting? But I think I'm sort of maniacally excited about it as well."
"You wouldn't be Peter if you weren't squealing about little tiny baby booties." Thomas continued to stare at the ground as they walked.
Peter waited for more, but when Thomas said nothing else, Peter squeezed his arm lightly. "Thomas. Talk." Peter knew he wanted to. Sometimes he just needed a little prompting.
"I...I don't know. How do you think I should go about that...remembering who I am thing?"
Peter gave Thomas a knowing look. He'd known that was what was on Thomas's mind, which is why he'd brought it up himself. "You spend time with Spectre and Mary, and you know...me. And you call me a girl and you wrestle your sister and lose gracefully, because you know she'll kick your arse. You go visit Julian in hospital and you make him laugh which will do you both some real good. You talk to your mother, which is fantastically amazing. And you talk to Joe about...macho guys things. Whatever those are, I've never known..."
Thomas snorted. "Cars and stuff?"
"I don't know, whatever. I used to be able to say 'I have a red car!' when people did that whole 'I have a 60 mulepower enginey type thing with double booster zigzags, purple wigwams, those little headlight wiper doodads and ejector seats' spiel. Now I'm not even quite sure what you would refer to the colour of my car as so I can't even say that..."
"You can say it has leather seats..."
"No, then I just sound sleazy." Peter looked over at Thomas and he winked. "You have people literally surrounding you to remind you of who you are, Thomas. What you do, is you let them. Heck, you could put on batears and go with Deirdre to the shopping centre again, that might help you to remember you're deeply strange."
Thomas laughed, and it felt good to do so. "Oh...do silly things. It seems like a long time since I thought about doing silly things, but it was only..what...a week?"
"It always seems like forever." Peter said, sounding quite sage. And he should, as he had plenty of traumatic experiences to draw on. If anyone knew how to get past trauma, it was Peter Kemp. "And you think things will never be the same again. You look at everything differently until you suddenly realise you're looking at it the same as you always did. You just appreciate it more."
"That...doesn't make sense..."
"No. But it will. Trust me."
Thomas nodded. "I certainly do that, Peter."
"Thomas?"
"Yeah, Peter?"
"I hate that she hurt you."
"I know you do."
"And you'll be okay?"
Thomas didn't answer right away, just because he wanted to make sure he didn't answer without thinking. Eventually, however, he turned to Peter and he gave his best friend a smile that was slowly approaching the huge grin Thomas usually wore on his face. "Yeah, Peter. I'll be okay. You all won't let me be anything else, and I know it." And then he leaned in and kissed Peter on the cheek, just to watch the tips of Peter's ears turn red the way they always did, because he thought it was endlessly adorable.
"I missed you too." Peter said, giving Thomas's hand a squeeze. "And I am keeping silent on the whole 'being with you' issue. I wish you hadn't been there at all. How...how did it even happen?"
"She found me in the park on my way to Spectre's. And I couldn't really get away... If I ran to your house, I led Amaris straight to Aly. If I ran to Spectre's, I led Brian to him. I couldn't do either. So I just...let her take me."
"Oh, Thomas." Peter's heart was filled with warmth for the things Thomas did for the people he loved. "You never cease to amaze me. Come on. Let's go on a walk. Anywhere but the park." Peter knew, without asking, that Thomas would want to be outside. Thomas was an outside person to begin with, and spending so much time locked in a tiny room unable to GET outside must have done his head in. Sure it had probably been the least of his worries at the time, but it was the easiest to correct right away.
"Are you sure you'll be okay with that, Gimpy?" Thomas asked, eyebrows meeting his hairline. Peter had trouble walking across a room, how was he supposed to handle getting around for a long period of time.
"Well I will be if you hold me. I mean like...hold...like I can hold on...oh bugger it." Peter rolled his eyes and he turned red.
Thomas snorted and he linked his arm with Peter's easily, supporting the other man as they headed outside into the London afternoon for a stroll. Thomas looked sideways at Peter who, despite appearing slightly pained because of the walking, looked like his old self again. "You look better." He commented, halfway to himself.
"I feel better." Peter said with a nod. "A lot better. Helping Razvan sort of...it reminded me who I was. Which I sort of forgot. It makes sense, that I forgot. So much has happened. But it's good to remember. To be me again. To HELP someone. It feels good." Peter took a deep breath of fresh air and he smiled. "And I'm going to have another little baby soon. And then another one. I get to go through teething and toilet training and teaching them to speak like 46 different languages three times allll in a row." Peter said with a laugh. "Won't that be...well..exhausting? But I think I'm sort of maniacally excited about it as well."
"You wouldn't be Peter if you weren't squealing about little tiny baby booties." Thomas continued to stare at the ground as they walked.
Peter waited for more, but when Thomas said nothing else, Peter squeezed his arm lightly. "Thomas. Talk." Peter knew he wanted to. Sometimes he just needed a little prompting.
"I...I don't know. How do you think I should go about that...remembering who I am thing?"
Peter gave Thomas a knowing look. He'd known that was what was on Thomas's mind, which is why he'd brought it up himself. "You spend time with Spectre and Mary, and you know...me. And you call me a girl and you wrestle your sister and lose gracefully, because you know she'll kick your arse. You go visit Julian in hospital and you make him laugh which will do you both some real good. You talk to your mother, which is fantastically amazing. And you talk to Joe about...macho guys things. Whatever those are, I've never known..."
Thomas snorted. "Cars and stuff?"
"I don't know, whatever. I used to be able to say 'I have a red car!' when people did that whole 'I have a 60 mulepower enginey type thing with double booster zigzags, purple wigwams, those little headlight wiper doodads and ejector seats' spiel. Now I'm not even quite sure what you would refer to the colour of my car as so I can't even say that..."
"You can say it has leather seats..."
"No, then I just sound sleazy." Peter looked over at Thomas and he winked. "You have people literally surrounding you to remind you of who you are, Thomas. What you do, is you let them. Heck, you could put on batears and go with Deirdre to the shopping centre again, that might help you to remember you're deeply strange."
Thomas laughed, and it felt good to do so. "Oh...do silly things. It seems like a long time since I thought about doing silly things, but it was only..what...a week?"
"It always seems like forever." Peter said, sounding quite sage. And he should, as he had plenty of traumatic experiences to draw on. If anyone knew how to get past trauma, it was Peter Kemp. "And you think things will never be the same again. You look at everything differently until you suddenly realise you're looking at it the same as you always did. You just appreciate it more."
"That...doesn't make sense..."
"No. But it will. Trust me."
Thomas nodded. "I certainly do that, Peter."
"Thomas?"
"Yeah, Peter?"
"I hate that she hurt you."
"I know you do."
"And you'll be okay?"
Thomas didn't answer right away, just because he wanted to make sure he didn't answer without thinking. Eventually, however, he turned to Peter and he gave his best friend a smile that was slowly approaching the huge grin Thomas usually wore on his face. "Yeah, Peter. I'll be okay. You all won't let me be anything else, and I know it." And then he leaned in and kissed Peter on the cheek, just to watch the tips of Peter's ears turn red the way they always did, because he thought it was endlessly adorable.
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