The clerk came back with a bright smile and their coffees then, and they went back to the business at hand.Theodore left Peter to do most of the talking but let him take his hand.It wasn’t as good as the handfasting Peter wanted and would want as long as he didn’t have it, but it was something.
The bank was not too far away from Centennial Park, and they ended up deciding to take a leisurely stroll through the greenery.Theo seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, but even so, he matched his steps to Peter’s, staying within touching distance.
“I wonder what I’ll do tonight,” Peter mused out loud.
“Hmm.”
“I could schedule a late-night performance review with one of our third-years.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Invite one of our neighbors for tea.Not that we talk too much, but it doesn’t hurt to catch up.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Or parade outside of Celeste’s stark naked to drive foot traffic inside.”
“Yeah.”
Peter stopped.“Theodore.”
It took him two more steps.“Yeah?”
Theodore’s green eyes were wide, and he looked startled.He was beautiful.Perfect in all the ways he wasn’t.
“A penny for your thoughts.”
Immediately, Theodore’s expression sharpened.“You just gave me a lot of pennies.I’m not taking any more.”
“Fine.Then tell me your thoughts for the price of a kiss.”
Theodore licked his lips.Sometimes, when he was asleep or in glimpses when he wasn’t, Peter could grasp the way he’d look when there was nothing but happiness on his mind; no burden, no itch or ache.It was a gift he wanted to give Theodore more each day, but not entirely his to give.
“I just…” Theodore licked his lips again, turning to look to their right.“Oh.It’s this place.”He turned to the other side.
“I hadn’t noticed, but you’re right.Someone lost a head in those trees.”
Theodore snorted.“Losing something makes it sound like an accident, and that was no accident.”
“What was it, then?”
Theodore hesitated before he said, “It was you.I didn’t have to hope for an accident.I had you.I’ve been thinking about something.”
Peter took two steps forward so that they were close, and put his hand on Theodore’s elbow.
“What about?”
“The things I don’t remember.Because of the compulsion.What would happen if… I mean, if I…” He breathed in and out a few times, composing himself.“If I became a vampire, would I remember?”
“I’m not sure.”
Theodore looked up at him.“What do you mean, you’re not sure?How can you not know that?”
“When a vampire makes another, they don’t tend to compel them not to remember long stretches before then.Not in that way.”
Theodore nodded.“Right.So if you turned me into a vampire, I might remember, or I might not remember, and there’s no way of knowing beforehand.”
Is he asking?No.But he is thinking about asking!It took all of Peter’s self-control not to show how exciting the prospect was, how hopeful it made him.It would be a lie to say he hadn’t thought about it; he simply hadn’t dared think about it too much, not until now.
