BROTHERS, THAT'S WHO WE ARE

Chapter Ten: Peter

"THANKS FOR INVITING us, Mom," I say as we arrive at the apartment. "Sorry it didn't go the way you planned."
"Of course, Peter. It's quite alright, really," Mom says, resting his head on Uncle Harrison's shoulder, who has an arm around Mom's shoulder.
I smile and hoist my bag onto my shoulder.
"Well, tell Wade that I said good night and that I love him!" I say.
Mom smiles and nods. "Of course, sweetheart!"
I lean down and kiss Mom's cheek goodbye. He smiles and walks away to his car but stops midway and turns around to face Matt and says, "Protect my boy, Matt. Promise me that."
Matt smiles. "I promise, Mrs. Osterfield. I swear to God, I will."
Mom smiles and he and Uncle Harrison walks off. I open the apartment door and Matt and I enter, kissing. He slowly slips my jacket off and pushes me onto the couch. Before I know it, we begin to make out.

+ + +

"You better not be...ya know..." Matt says, smirking as he cooks breakfast the next morning.
I chuckle, rolling my eyes and say, "I'm not going to be!"
Matt smiles softly at me and shakes his head, continuing his cooking. I stare at my ring. It's shiny. It's glittery against the light beaming down on it and it fits my ring finger perfectly. I wonder if this is how my mother felt when my dead father proposed to him: happy, loved, safe in the arms of the man he loved. Because that's what I feel.
I hear the scraping sound of the food transferring from the pan to the plate. I look up from my ring and see Matt setting two plates on the table. I smile again and walk over to him, sitting myself down. Matt smiles again as he hands me my coffee and he sits down in his chair across from me, his coffee in hand. I take a small sip, letting the drink warm me up.
"Nikki's got her dog food bowl filled with her dog food, right?" I ask Matt.
He takes a sip of his coffee and say, "Babe, don't worry. I fed her before you woke up."
"Thank you."
He nods and we continue to eat. When I tell you this past year's been crazy, I mean it.
"When do you want to have the wedding, Pete?" Matt asks, breaking the awkward silence.
I think a moment. When did Mom had his? November 11? It's October now...maybe two weeks from when Mom and my father, Ryan, had theirs.
"How about...maybe...two weeks from when my mother and father had theirs. November 25," I suggest.
"That sounds perfect, baby!" Matt agrees.
I smile widely as I sip my coffee.
I hoist my bag onto my shoulder and grab my keys. I'm going to visit my mother and family for a little bit. Matt, of course, has work today. So, while he's at work, I'm going to see my family.
"What time do you plan on being home, Matt?" I ask my fiancé as he stands up and clears the table.
"Oh, I don't know, somewhere between 3-3:30 pm."
I nod. "Okay, I'm going to see Mom for a bit."
"Okay, babe," Matt says.
"Love you!" I blow him an air kiss.
"Love you, too, Pete!" Matt says, catching the air kiss.
I giggle as I walk out, closing the door behind me. I rustle through my bag, making sure I have everything I need before I head out.
Good. I do.
When I turn to go to my car, I jump when I see Adikius in front of me.
"AH!" I yelp. "Adikius, what-"
"Shhh," Adikius says, placing a finger to my lips, cutting me off. "I'm glad to see you to, Pete. But I need you to follow me!"
"What?! Adikius, I can't just-"
"Yes, you can, Peter!"
"No, I can't! I'm about to visit my mother!"
Adikius stops, eyes wide. "Your mother?"
I nod.
"How is he?"
"He's fine," I answer, walking to my car.
But Adikius follows me. I roll my eyes as I open the driver's door.
"What do you want from me, Adikius?" I demand, turning around and placing my hands on my hips in a sassy way.
Adikius sighs heavily. "You need to stay with Wade..."
My brows narrowed. "Why...?"
He looks up and glances side to side, making sure no one's watching us. Then, he leans close into my personal space that I have to back up a bit. I gulp. His beady eyes staring into my icy blue ones.
"Because, Peter," Adikius begins, "you're brother's in danger."
"What do you mean...?"
"Someone's watching him. I don't know who-"
"Is it Advent? Is he back? Is he back from the dead?!" I say, my eyes widening with fear.
"I said I don't know, Peter! Although, that's impossible. Advent is dead. Wade killed him. We watched him do it with our very own eyes!" Adikius says.
I blush. "I know..."
"But as far as I know, your mother or your family or friends are not in danger of whoever is watching Wade as of right now," Adikius says.
"As of right now," I repeat, "is the key word. So...how am I supposed to protect Wade, if..."
I look down at my ring, which is glistening in the moonlight. Adikius follows my gaze and he gasps.
"You're engaged?!" Adikius gasps, eyes wide and grinning.
I look up and nod, smiling. "Yep!"
"Who's the lucky lady?" he grins, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Um...it's a he...and his name is Matt Murdock. He's been my childhood crush since middle school and he just proposed to me last night," I explain, my cheeks warming up a bit.
Adikius hugs me tightly and says, "Oh, Peter! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!"
I smile. "Thanks, Adikius."
"Am I invited to the wedding?" Adikius asks.
I shrug, still smiling. "I dunno. I mean, I guess. That is if you want to be!"
"When is it?"
"November 25. Two weeks from when my parents had theirs."
"Do you what time or where it is?"
I shake my head. "No, we haven't gotten that far yet."
Adikius just nods.
"Okay," he says, "well. I just wanted to let you about Wade. Um...like I said, you have to stay with him. Keep an eye on him."
I nod, then frown. "But Wade's in school..."
"Don't worry, I got that part taken care of. In the mean time, you have your mother to see!" Adikius reminds me.
I chuckle and say, "I'm on it!"
With that, Adikius disappears into the night. And so, I pile myself in the car, placing my bag in the passenger's seat. I buckle myself up, turning on the ignition. I replied to a few text messages and took a sip of my water. After checking my mirrors and everything, I press the gas pedal and off I am to go visit my mother.