"No One Told Me Why I'm In Berlin" - Tag Peter and Alec

[st_hotflashes]

When Liz found out that the new world was actually Earth and Europe, she couldn't quite hold back her excitement. The fact that the year was, according to the people at the desk, 2018 meant she was going to be closer to Peter's time than her own. She would finally be able to experience what his world was like, even just a little bit, and learn more about the internet and scientific advancement and maybe watch a few of Peter's favourite films they couldn't get at the inn.

"I still don't know why I'm here." Alec sat across from the two teenagers on the train heading to Berlin looking appropriately put-out despite not actually feeling that way. The truth was, he had never been to Europe and he had seen that semi-embarrassing video that Peter had of his trip to Germany and maybe, just maybe, he wanted to see it. Though he told himself he was actually just chaperoning because the world could be dangerous and both Liz and Peter were naive and believed the best in people, even when they shouldn't.

Liz was dialing another phone number on the smartphone she had been given. Thankfully she had enough practice with Peter's to be able to use the one she had and not look entirely inept. So far there had been no answer with Maria's house and the number for the Crashdown was out of service. Her home got a busy signal. She also knew it was a possibility everyone had moved or something. Then suddenly her face lit up - the Roswell police department was on the other end.

"Hi, um. Yes. I was wondering if I could speak to Sheriff Valenti please?" A pause. "Sheriff Valenti. Valenti." Another pause as her excitement lessened. "Okay, well, um. Can you at least tell me if there was a record of a Sheriff Valenti on the force?... How can you not know that." She caught herself as the words came out more tense and annoyed. Liz took a breath. "Yes, I'll hold." And hold she did. The more she waited, the more her expression dampened. Finally, there was a voice again. "Oh.. okay. Yes. Thank you. Goodbye."

She hung up. "They, um. They have no record of him working there. So I guess.. this isn't my world."

Alec shrugged, still looking out the window. "This isn't mine either. We can be twinsies, if you want."

Comments

[st_x5_494]

He led them into his room and closed the door. He exhaled. "You tell me." He wasn't going to mention Liz was pissed off at him. "How are you feeling?"

[st_arkintern]

Peter can't explain why he feels so uncomfortable because he usually doesn't feel uncomfortable around Alec. But right now he does.

"I'm fine," he says.

[st_x5_494]

Alec didn't really believe it, but he nodded. Maybe this was one of those 'only my girlfriend can know deals.'

"Look. I'm... Sorry. Didn't plan on that happening tonight. So, yeah." It was hard for Alec to apologise. "I don't know what happened down there, but... If you ever want to talk about it."

[st_arkintern]

"It's fine, really." Peter scratches at his elbow. "It's just..."

Peter takes a breath.

"...the first time I've been in a tight space since..."

Peter swallows. Why is it so hard to say it?

"...a warehouse collapsed on me."

[st_x5_494]

He did not look surprised at such an admission, but neither did he look pleased. Alec stared at Peter.

"The memories came back, huh? Felt real?"

[st_arkintern]

Peter sits down on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know," he says looking down at his hands. "I didn't even think it was going to happen until it did, and..."

He dampens his lips.

"...I'm sorry if it made things weird."

[st_x5_494]

He crossed his arms over his chest the way he did when he was thinking. "No, it's normal. It happens to everyone who does the things we do." He walked over to the pants he had walked into the Otherworld with and pulled out something from the pocket.

"That's why I have nightmares. That's why other people drink. We all have our ways." And he hated that Peter had something that linger from being Spider-Man. There'd only be more of that in the future.

"Don't apologise for being a person." But now he understood why Liz had freaked out on him. And she had been right. This was, essentially, his fault.

"Monologues huh?"

[st_arkintern]

Peter laughs weakly. "Yeah," he says. "It was Liz's idea, but it worked."

He wouldn't have known what to do if Liz hadn't told him.

[st_x5_494]

"I guess your pop culture obsession is good for something."

He walked over and produced a Madonna Inn coaster that had Thor's writing on it. It said Look forward to fighting alongside you in battle sometime soon. - Thor

"I was going to give this to you later but now seems like a good time."

[st_arkintern]

Peter looks up at Alec, confused, then takes the coaster into hand and looks down at it.

His eyes snap back up to Alec. His fingers tighten around the coaster.

"Alec..." he begins, clearly touched. "Thank you."

[st_x5_494]

"Yeah, well," He shrugged. "It's no big deal." Alec always felt weird when it became a big deal. "And he totally hit on me, fyi, so if you're ever willing to experiment, he'd probably be down for that." And then Alec was good at deflecting.

[st_arkintern]

Peter looks flabbergasted.

"Thor hit on you and you didn't do anything?"

[st_x5_494]

Alec blinked. "And you would have?" Because apart from redirecting that question, not Alec was actually curious.

[st_arkintern]

"I mean, maybe," Peter says because he can't be sure how he'd actually react. "But he's like a thousand years old or something and he probably wouldn't be interested in me, anyway."

[st_x5_494]

"Because there's so much difference between the 4 years we're apparent." He deadpanned, looking at Peter. "Now that I have to bleach my brain from images of you that way, you should probably go back to your room. I'm sure Liz will want to comfort you. You should take advantage of that. Have her read you quantum physics or cuddle or whatever it is you two do." Not sex, certainly, although Peter had definitely been branching out a bit more lately and the effects were sometimes obvious - he held himself with a lot more confidence when around her, for one.

[st_arkintern]

"You're an adult," he points out. "An adult-adult." And that's really the difference here.

Peter pushes himself off the bed and heads for the door. Before his hand reaches for the doorknob, he stops and turns and looks at Alec.

He presses his lips together, and for a second, it looks like he's going to say something.

But in the end, he doesn't. He turns the doorknob, opens the door, and begins to leave.

[st_x5_494]

Alec would normally let most people leave. In fact, he told himself he was going to let Peter leave too... all up until he was almost out of the door.

"If you ever want to talk about it..."

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah," Peter says. "Some other time."

He gives Alec a weary smile. "See you tomorrow." A beat. "Or today." It was technically early morning.

[st_x5_494]

Alec gave a nod and would leave the ball in Peter's hand for now on the subject.