Carter's Shadow - 12. Chapter 12

Peter had woke up early, ducking out of the house with a cursory kiss to his mother as she puttered through the kitchen trying to get breakfast ready for his brother. She was used to Peter getting up and leaving early, and she just smiled and shook her head at him as he dashed up the driveway and made his usual turn and wave to her.

He shifted his book bag on his back, crossing the parking lot to the Loeb grocery store, and walking down past the library. It was a wonderful spring day, a little moisture in the air, but warm at the same time. He grinned as he popped his headphones on, turning up the volume of his CD player as he made a turn into a cul-du-sac he'd been visiting for years.

He didn't bother to knock, just came through the door as he always did and made a beeline for the living room and the video game console tucked under the TV. He had, as always, enough time to get a good half-hour of video gaming in before he would have to go to school.

Will looked up from his crossword puzzle as Peter walked past him, clicking his pen as he watched the young man take residence on the floor in front of the television as he had been doing every morning for five years.

"That's going to rot your brain," Will commented, taking a sip from his coffee cup and setting it back down on the table.

"I could say the same about coffee," Andrew Highmore observed, coming out of the laundry room and walking through the kitchen. "Have you seen my school books?"

Peter grinned, reaching out; still playing the game one-handed he held up a black backpack heavy with university textbooks. Andrew smiled gratefully as he came through and took it from Peter, stopping a moment to look at the screen and down at Peter.

"Don't you have school this morning?" he asked.

"Sprog has school every morning," Will replied from the kitchen where he was sitting. "Never stops him though. I swear he plays that thing more than I do."

"Everyone plays it more than you do," Andrew shot back. "Jared and I like to play NHL hockey..."

"Yes," Will responded dryly, "I know...believe me...I know."

Andrew grinned and winked down at Peter, who grinned back up at them, both all too aware of Will's British aversion to hockey.

Andrew walked back through to the kitchen, and Peter turned his head slightly, watching as Andrew lightly touched Will's shoulder as he leaned around him to get something down from one of the cupboards. There was a subtle intimacy that passed between them, and Peter smiled to himself wondering at the two.

They had been together for as long as Peter had known them. He'd heard the story many times, of them meeting and falling in love. Of struggling together to find their own way in the world, in love. And Peter sighed to himself, wondering if he would ever have anything like that.

Old and grey and in love... not that Will or Andrew were grey. They were old, well, older than Peter was and that made them old in his book. Sure he'd never come out and say it, or else Will would string him up. He could be remarkably touchy about his age. Which of course made him all the more fun to pick on.

"Your tie's crooked," Andrew observed, reaching down to straighten Will's collar and tie, taking a moment to let his hands linger.

"Get that look off your face right now," Will said, amusement dancing in his eyes. "There's children present."

Andrew laughed, breaking out into a grin as he stepped away digging through his book bag for his glasses. "You're such a prude sometimes," he observed, finding what he was looking for and leaning back over Will's shoulder. He pushed his hair back from his eyes as he stared at the crossword puzzle. "Tad," he said, pointing.

"Tad?" Will asked looking up, "A three letter word for a kid is a tad?"

"Yeah," Andrew shrugged. "Don't blame me, I didn't make the thing."

"What are you two bitches arguing about now?" Will's roommate, Brody, came tromping down the stairs looking sharp and pressed even though he must have just woke up.

"Crossword," Will replied holding it up.

"Oh my god, you two are so domestic." Brody rolled his eyes helping himself to coffee, "When are you two just going to give up and admit you're married?"

Peter grinned, pausing his game as he wandered out to join them all in the kitchen; taking a seat at the counter on one of the stools, he watched as Will eyed him suspiciously before sliding a plate of toast across the counter to him.

"Does anyone remember when I adopted a kid?" Will commented, nodding across at Peter.

Andrew smirked, while Brody just gave Peter a cursory look, "It's not you, it's me, I just seem to attract waifs and strays. I should post a sign on the lawn saying 'No Vacancies'."

"The only waifs and strays you attract are the ones you call girlfriends," Will commented dryly, with a wink at Peter.

Brody feigned hurt. "Ouch, burn... my love, it's biblical..." he thumped his chest, "the cup runneth over, and if it runneth over and happens to land on other honeys...well that's just because my love is biblical..."

Will rolled his eyes, "Yes, and remind me again, who is it this week? Laura or Karen?"

"Virginia," Brody replied drinking his coffee. "And she ain't, if you know what I'm saying..."

"Oh dear god, I hope not," Will replied shaking his head.

"Hello-?" A woman in her mid-twenties called coming in through the door, setting her briefcase down in the hall and walking in to join them in the kitchen. Lisa, Will's best friend, lived a few doors up the road with her longtime boyfriend, Jeff. Peter grinned again; it was like having a full family each morning, congregating around in that kitchen getting ready for work or school.

"Morning," Will commented, setting his mug in the sink, "you're just in time to hear all about Virginia."

"The state?" Lisa asked in surprise.

"His latest," Will commented, nodding to Brody who was sitting looking innocent.

"Oh," Lisa replied, "I bet she isn't anymore, then."

"Children," Will commented jerking his thumb over at Peter. Rolling his eyes.

"Children?" Lisa stated in surprise. "Peter's what--seventeen? If he doesn't know what sex is by now..." She looked over at Peter, "You do know what sex is, right?"

Peter blushed. "Yeah," he said with a quick nod.

"See," Lisa said, "he probably has a girlfriend as well that you don't know about."

All eyes turned to Peter expectantly, and Peter's pink cheeks flushed a shade of red, "Uh...no..."

"Speaking of young love," Will commented. "You'll never guess what Andy and I saw last night."

"Oh?" Lisa asked, always eager for gossip. That's what happened when you worked in PR for a large telecommunications company--gossip was the fuel that made the world spin, and finally Lisa had found a job she was good at and she wasn't afraid to admit to it.

"Well, a hockey player..." Will began.

"And a geek," Andrew finished, smiling sweetly at Will.

"Sounds familiar," Lisa said flashing the two of them a broad grin.

"I wouldn't have called him a geek," Will said sounding defensive.

"No," Brody said, "you wouldn't."

"Shut up, you." Will flashed a dirty look across at Brody, who was grinning back at him.

"So," Lisa asked, "we're waiting."

"Actually," Andrew said, "we shouldn't be talking about this in front of..." he jerked his eyes over towards Peter.

Lisa looked over at Peter and smiled warmly, "He's part of the family, you can't expect him to leave the room every time you have something juicy to say."

Peter frowned, the only hockey player that... "West?" he asked in shock.

Will and Andrew exchanged looks, realizing that perhaps they shouldn't have said anything at all. Lisa looked about her in confusion, confusion that was mirrored by Brody who just shrugged at her blankly not knowing what was going on.

"But he's not gay...well, he came out to me, but I thought..." Peter looked confused.

"You already knew?" Andrew asked leaning against the fridge crossing his arms.

"Well, he told me," Peter said, his brow furrowing in reflection, "I didn't believe him."

"Ouch," Brody said shaking his head, "that has to suck, coming out to someone and they don't believe you."

"You'd be surprised," Andrew said looking over at his friend, "I still get that." He glanced back at Peter, "No, he came out to me as well. If he's talking to you it's probably because he needs a friend right now..."

"Actually," Will commented cutting Andrew off, "I should drive sprog to school."

Andrew turned studying Will's eyes and nodded, "Sure, if Brody won't mind giving Lisa and me a lift into Ottawa."

"Sure," Brody said getting up and going to the door to fetch his shoes. "Not like I'm doing anything today."

"How is the business of 'nothing'?" Lisa asked.

"Pay's good," Brody replied with his usual mysterious grin. It wasn't that he was being secretive; it was more that no one truly knew what he did for a living. Most of them in the kitchen felt it was safer not to ask. And Brody was content to leave them guessing.

Once Will and Peter were alone in the Jeep curling their way towards the high school, Will glanced over at the young man he had grown so fond of.

To Peter, Will was an older brother and father figure rolled into one. He was such an important part of his life, growing a friendship into something as close as true family. They had shared camping trips in sheer misery together, morning and evenings. Will helped Peter with his homework and provided him with a landscaping job that had grown into a weekend business that gave Peter all the allowance he could ever want.

More importantly, Will was the one person Peter trusted completely, and the one person who knew him inside and out.

"Thanks," Peter said once they were clear of the house.

"No problem," Will replied. "Andrew's right--this boy sounds like he is reaching out to you."

"It kinda sucks," Peter replied. "I had a go at him because I thought..."

"He was teasing you," Will replied with a fond smile. "Yeah."

"Did you have this problem with Andrew?" Peter asked suddenly.

"Well Andrew didn't so much come out to me as he did kiss me..." Will chuckled, "so I sort of had to believe him. You like this boy?"

"No!" Peter denied. "He pisses me off," he answered truthfully.

Will chuckled, "That's no good."

"He's just, he says all the wrong things at all the wrong times," Peter observed. "Like he tries too hard, and it all comes across wrong."

"Sounds like he's just a bit awkward," Will commented. "He was in your class when I taught you English."

"Yeah, he was..." Peter shrugged.

"He seemed like a smart guy," Will replied thoughtfully, trying to remember. "He was a little awkward back then, too. So if he is gay, and he is trying to..."

"He touched me," Peter shot out.

Will started, blinking at Peter, "He... who...what?"

"No," Peter shook his head, "not like that, he just touched my side, we were in McGorlick's art class..."

"I bet the old Iron Lady loved that, two boys touching in her class..." Will mused, remembering his own experiences with McGorlick.

"It wasn't like that," Peter went red again. "She wasn't there; I had just drawn him and he saw it, I was wearing his jacket and..."

"You were wearing his coat?" Will asked in surprise. "You sure you don't like this boy?"

"No," Peter repeated, "I mean he's nice I suppose, just not..." He shrugged lamely knowing there was no real reason he wasn't interested, it was more the fact that West had an un-erring way of just pissing him off at the drop of a hat and making him feel foolish for doing it.

"Hey, it's okay," Will reassured, "you don't have to like a boy just because he says he's gay. But if he trusted you enough to tell you... and to touch you... now where exactly did he...?" Will shook his head.

Peter smirked at his big brother, "Just on my ribs, nothing special. What do I do if he is interested?"

"Probably not a problem," Will replied with a smile. "He was out with someone last night."

"Cool," Peter sounded relieved.

"But still, I think you should talk to him," Will pressed.

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Because you do need friends your own age." Will replied, nudging his sprog fondly. "While I love you to pieces, lil'one, you do have to get out with some of your own friends, instead of hanging around with me all the time."

Peter nodded; they'd had this same talk several times over the past few years. And each time they had it, Peter would nod, Will would give him the same worried look and they would promptly fall back into the same old pattern again.

"Would you like to borrow the Jeep this weekend? Go out somewhere?" Will asked.

"Friday night's pasta night," Peter said with a smile, "and Saturday night is movie night..."

"What did I just say about not hanging out with me all the time?" Will said smiling.

"That I should do more of it 'cause you love me?" Peter said, batting his big, bright blue eyes.

"Great," Will replied dryly as he turned the Jeep and let it climb the last hill to the school. "What's the big attraction of pasta night, anyway?"

"Jeff cooks great pasta," Peter shrugged.

"That he does," Will nodded. "He used to cook for us in university, great cook."

"Why didn't you get your teaching degree?" Peter asked suddenly, startling Will.

Will looked thoughtful as he pulled the Jeep into the parking lot, "I got my bachelor's in English, I felt that was enough."

"But..." Peter pressed, "weren't you going to teach?"

Will looked over at Peter, "Sometimes you have to figure out what's important and do that. Andrew wanted to go to law school, and I'm working to help him through it."

"At the call center," Peter finished.

"Well, I'm not working the phones," Will replied with a smile. "I am a Human Resource manager. And I do get to teach."

"That's not the same, though," Peter commented, digging on the seat behind him for his book bag.

"I'm teaching them how to sell," Will replied, "and I'm making money doing it." He looked over at Peter who flashed him a worried look, "All right I'm just doing this till Andrew gets done law school, and then I'm going to go get my teaching degree."

"Good!" Peter said firmly.

"Get to school, bloody rug rat..." Will shook his head grinning, "or I'm going to be late for work."

"Bye Will," Peter said, climbing out of the Jeep and slamming the door shut, waving his big brother off before walking into the school for yet another dull day.