Sunday: Brotherly love
Dec. 19th, 2009 02:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spongetasticFor you, a thousand times over.--Khaled Hosseini
He was only a child but he could see that his brother was very sad about something. He didn’t want to see his brother sad about anything. Peter unsteadily rose to his feet and took wobbly steps. Nathan glanced up, his eyes going wide as he saw his toddler brother walking toward him.
Peter didn’t make it the whole way there. He fell forward, right into his older brother’s arms. His tiny fingers clung on tightly to Nathan trying to give him the biggest hug his arms could manage.
“Hey…” Nathan pulled back, smiling at the toddler. “You walked all by yourself.”
“Happy?” Peter asked, poking his brother’s smiling mouth with a finger. Nathan grinned wider and nodded. “Good!” Peter hugged his brother again. He liked making Nathan happy.
---
Peter tried very hard to keep his hands steady and not breathe too heavily. He never imagined how much work went into this, which of course made him feel more guilty. He heard footsteps and he froze in his work, heart pounding anxiously. But the footsteps continued down the hall and he was safe.
After what felt like hours of painstaking work he was finished. Peter carefully placed the model plane back where he found it. He took a step back to study his work. Nathan would never even know it’d been broken.
---
Coach said it was going to be the biggest game of the season. Peter and the rest of the team practiced every day after school in anticipation. Yet Peter stood in front of the coach telling him he couldn’t be there at the game. Tears glimmered in the teen’s eyes and his voice trembled but he still got the words out.
Nathan’s engagement party was the same night.
---
Having any meal with his family was never one of Peter’s favorite things to do. Putting on a show for the newspaper made it even less appealing for him. So he was feeling a little bratty as he burst onto the perfect scene wearing his hoodie and jeans. Maybe the image would end up working in Nathan’s favor. Peter was always the black sheep anyway and the papers were already saying he suffered depression.
The interviewer mentioned Las Vegas and a blonde woman Nathan was seen with. Peter’s eyes flickered to his brother’s face. Blondes were always Nathan’s type. His brother’s face was unreadable yet somehow Peter still knew the truth. It was almost like he could feel Nathan’s guilt…
Peter cleared his throat and lied in front of the interviewer, his mother and Heidi. Nathan was the hero and Peter was the messed up little brother. Just the way it should be.
---
He lay curled up in his cell staring at the wall blankly. If they wanted to keep him in here forever he wouldn’t mind. He deserved to be here. When Peter closed his eyes he could feel it all again: the power building up in his body, the painful explosion, and Nathan’s body being burned.
His fault. Peter could have killed his brother.
But then Adam called out to him from the other side of the wall offering hope. Adam’s blood had healing properties; he could make those burns disappear like they never happened. He could make Nathan whole again.
Peter began to believe Adam could do anything… He decided to follow the immortal wherever he wanted to go, as long as Nathan was saved.
---
“You have to let me go, Pete,” Nathan breathed out.
“No,” Peter choked out. His eyes grew watery as his hand tightened its grip. “Please, Nathan….”
“It’s not really me anymore, Pete. I can’t fight it.” Their eyes met and Peter knew his brother was right. “I love you, Pete,” Nathan whispered.
“I love you too, Nathan,” Peter responded shakily. Nathan’s hand slipped and Peter’s heart fell right along with his brother.
He was only a child but he could see that his brother was very sad about something. He didn’t want to see his brother sad about anything. Peter unsteadily rose to his feet and took wobbly steps. Nathan glanced up, his eyes going wide as he saw his toddler brother walking toward him.
Peter didn’t make it the whole way there. He fell forward, right into his older brother’s arms. His tiny fingers clung on tightly to Nathan trying to give him the biggest hug his arms could manage.
“Hey…” Nathan pulled back, smiling at the toddler. “You walked all by yourself.”
“Happy?” Peter asked, poking his brother’s smiling mouth with a finger. Nathan grinned wider and nodded. “Good!” Peter hugged his brother again. He liked making Nathan happy.
---
Peter tried very hard to keep his hands steady and not breathe too heavily. He never imagined how much work went into this, which of course made him feel more guilty. He heard footsteps and he froze in his work, heart pounding anxiously. But the footsteps continued down the hall and he was safe.
After what felt like hours of painstaking work he was finished. Peter carefully placed the model plane back where he found it. He took a step back to study his work. Nathan would never even know it’d been broken.
---
Coach said it was going to be the biggest game of the season. Peter and the rest of the team practiced every day after school in anticipation. Yet Peter stood in front of the coach telling him he couldn’t be there at the game. Tears glimmered in the teen’s eyes and his voice trembled but he still got the words out.
Nathan’s engagement party was the same night.
---
Having any meal with his family was never one of Peter’s favorite things to do. Putting on a show for the newspaper made it even less appealing for him. So he was feeling a little bratty as he burst onto the perfect scene wearing his hoodie and jeans. Maybe the image would end up working in Nathan’s favor. Peter was always the black sheep anyway and the papers were already saying he suffered depression.
The interviewer mentioned Las Vegas and a blonde woman Nathan was seen with. Peter’s eyes flickered to his brother’s face. Blondes were always Nathan’s type. His brother’s face was unreadable yet somehow Peter still knew the truth. It was almost like he could feel Nathan’s guilt…
Peter cleared his throat and lied in front of the interviewer, his mother and Heidi. Nathan was the hero and Peter was the messed up little brother. Just the way it should be.
---
He lay curled up in his cell staring at the wall blankly. If they wanted to keep him in here forever he wouldn’t mind. He deserved to be here. When Peter closed his eyes he could feel it all again: the power building up in his body, the painful explosion, and Nathan’s body being burned.
His fault. Peter could have killed his brother.
But then Adam called out to him from the other side of the wall offering hope. Adam’s blood had healing properties; he could make those burns disappear like they never happened. He could make Nathan whole again.
Peter began to believe Adam could do anything… He decided to follow the immortal wherever he wanted to go, as long as Nathan was saved.
---
“You have to let me go, Pete,” Nathan breathed out.
“No,” Peter choked out. His eyes grew watery as his hand tightened its grip. “Please, Nathan….”
“It’s not really me anymore, Pete. I can’t fight it.” Their eyes met and Peter knew his brother was right. “I love you, Pete,” Nathan whispered.
“I love you too, Nathan,” Peter responded shakily. Nathan’s hand slipped and Peter’s heart fell right along with his brother.