Peter broke into a sweat. His silent suffering must not be so silent anymore. It was hard to keep up a demeanor that didn't emanate his turmoiled emotions. "Wha- What do you mean, Su?"
His voice cracked when he used her nickname of old, the one he had given to her the afternoon of the day that he punched Billy Watkins for making her cry. He remembered how she had asked, "Peter, I thought you liked seeing me cry."
And he remembered how he looked at her and responded, "I do. But Su, only I'm allowed to make you cry."
And he remembered how she looked at him before he ran away from her.
He had almost forgotten that day.
It was before the war. Of course he had.
"If I'm a kid, that's one more person on your hands. One more life to save, one more soul to nurture. I never really realized how awful I was, criticizing you and the others for everything you did. I've resolved to be more gentle, just like Aslan said I was."
During her monologue Peter gathered her up in his arms again and held her close to him, so he could feel her heart beat through their clothes and skin. It made Peter feel that the skin and the clothing shouldn't be there, that it was extra, that all he should feel is her heart throbbing against his. In time with his.
Perfectly in time.
Susan pulled away from him and looked into his brown eyes again. "I do need to take on this responsibility, Peter. You can't do it all, however much you think you can, you can't. None of us really realized how hard it is for Mum!"
Anger and resentment flared up inside of Peter, and he almost struck his sister. He yelled, "It would've been helpful if you could've come to these conclusions earlier, Miss Pevensie! It isn't all that easy, taking care of your younger siblings, when you're only a kid yourself!"
Susan's eyes overflowed with tears again, but Peter didn't care. Why couldn't he be the child once in a while?
"Peter, don't yell at me," she chided, "And that was what I was trying to say to you. I was trying to say that I knew it was hard for you, and that I want to help you so you won't be so, well, tense anymore. I'm sorry if I said it in an offending way."
Peter realized that, and hung his head in shame. Susan put her gentle hands on the back of his neck and pulled his head over so his forehead was resting on her shoulder. She stroked his hair, and rubbed his back, even as he rubbed hers as he kept her steady on his lap.
They both could be children.
And the other would be the adult, would be the caring one.
He no longer had to suffer alone.
A/N: There will be Lucy in the next chapter, I promise! I've been putting her off forever. I'm sorry, all you Lucy fans. But could you say in a reveiw how I should do the whole Queen Lucy the Valiant thing like I did for Peter and Susan? I can't think of one! (Which is one of the reasons why she isn't in the story yet)