Lemon Boy (parkner-slow burn-endgame compliant-omigodtheywereroommates):
“It lives! Peter, get up here and bask in my excellence!”
There’s a crash downstairs and then Peter careens onto the second floor, shoulder-checking the wall before bouncing back upright as his feet carry him down the hall.
“W’ss’rong?” he slurs, blinking blearily and looking around like he’s searching for attackers.
“Dude,” Harley says dryly. “The AC is running now, just thought you’d want to know.”
Peter hums, glancing at the AC and then back at Harley and blinks hard. “You have stuff,” he says and then presses his palm to his forehead and swipes his entire hand down his face.
“Get off,” Harley snaps, slapping his arm away before wiping his face on the inside of his elbow. “The hell, man?”
Peter shrugs. “Just trying to help.”
Peaches Ain’t Pretty (gen fic-Harley & Abbie growing up-coming of age):
“I knocked over the glass though!” Abbie wails miserably.
He shoots her a sharp glance and she pinches her lips together and turns frightened eyes to the closed door. They hold their breath in silence but the rest of the house on the other side stays quiet.
“It was an accident,” he whispers. “I know you didn’t mean it.”
“Then why’d daddy get so mad at you?”
“He’s always mad. It don’t matter what we do. He’ll always find something to lash out about.”
“Shoulda been me,” Abbie sniffs. “I did it, so—,”
“Don’t ever say that,” he says harshly. “Don’t you ever believe for a second you deserve what he’s doin’ to us.”
“I don’t like you gettin’ hurt cuz of me, Lee Lee,” she says, brown eyes shining bright as another fat tear rolls down her pudgy toddler cheek.
Seeing it makes his chest squeeze. Maybe he’s just a kid too but he’s her big brother and he’s got the know-how to keep her safer than he’s ever been. He hates that he can’t be here for her during the school day but daddy’s usually at work and soon enough she’ll be doing school too. They’ll even get to be at the same one for a few years until he moves up to middle school. It’ll be nice havin’ her close. They’ve just gotta get there and it seems real far from where they’re at.
“It ain’t cuz of you. It’s cuz of him. You remember that. Always remember that.” He picks up his washrag and finds a clean spot on it and wipes her cheeks. “There you are. Pretty as a peach.”
Abbie snorts. “Peaches ain’t pretty.”
“Says you. Someday I’ll find me a peach so pretty, I’ll marry it.”
