McRoyle

Prompted by Llanea and set on the 12th February: this is the aftermath of JP asking for Trevor to deal with Finn.

"Don't do something you'll regret for the rest of your life"

Once John Paul had finished his call to the prison, he hung up glanced around the bedroom that he was in. He had decided to make the call in private, not that he didn't trust Trevor but he didn't want anyone to overhear the conversation. He realised that he was standing in the bedroom that used to belong to Doug a couple of years earlier and he let out a deep sigh at the memories. Shaking his head, John Paul realised that it wasn't the best time to be taking a trip down memory lane – especially remembering his (and his husband's) ex – and he trudged down the stairs to find Trevor making lunch.

The bald man glanced up at him, "What did they say?"

John Paul shoved his mobile into his pocket, "They're going to speak to him and get his side of the story" he sighed, "They can't take my word for it apparently"

Trevor nodded grimly, "Don't worry about it, you won't hear from the kid again" he assured him, "The wardens will probably scare the hell out of him"

John Paul scoffed, "Yeah, well they scared the hell out of me"

Trevor narrowed his eyes at the younger man, "Does Finn still scare you?"

John Paul gulped and nodded, "It was stupid of me to think that once he was locked up I'd stop being frightened of him. I know I'll never really get over it"

Trevor considered this, "But don't they say that 'time's a great healer' or something?"

John Paul was inwardly surprised by Trevor's use of the cliché, but he shrugged, "How long though? It's been over a year and nothing's changed"

Trevor pulled a face, "That's not true" he retorted, "You're married now, I bet you didn't think you'd be married a year ago"

John Paul smiled slightly, "No, you're right. A relationship was the furthest thing from my mind back then"

Trevor crossed his arms, "There you go then, Finn's not controlling you anymore is he? Life happens so you have no choice but to just move on"

John Paul pondered this, "Well after everything with my family and Ste, I guess I got distracted"

"Exactly" Trevor confirmed, "It's not the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning, is it?"

John Paul shook his head, "It used to be, but not anymore"

"You probably didn't realise it at the time but all those 'distractions' helped you to move on" Trevor pointed out, "You can't control how or when you get over an experience like that, it just happens naturally"

John Paul nodded in agreement, "You're actually quite deep, aren't you?"

Trevor shrugged, "I have my moments"

John Paul smiled briefly and there was a lingering pause, "Look, I never really thanked you for everything you did for me when we were in prison"

Trevor shrugged, "That's just what BFF's do, isn't it?" he joked

John Paul sniggered at Trevor's dry sense of humour, "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you get rid of Bob, and-"

"- You mean 'Big Bob'" Trevor corrected

John Paul shook his head, "Nope. I just about managed to call him that to his face, but not anymore. That man was half my size so I'm not calling him 'Big Bob'"

Trevor scoffed, "Yeah, now that you mention it, I do feel like an idiot for calling him that"

"But for a tiny guy, he wasn't half terrifying" John Paul joked

Trevor rolled his eyes, "He was small fry who got what he deserved"

John Paul considered this. Although the guy had made his life a misery in prison – as if it hadn't already been a misery beforehand – he would never wish him dead. However, John Paul was slightly fearful of Trevor, so he nodded in agreement and cleared his throat.

"So, you'd really strangle Esther with her own dirty washing?" John Paul questioned, recalling Trevor's aggressive greeting.

Trevor nodded, "This is me we're talking about here" he pointed out, "she just leaves it all lying around"

John Paul grimaced, "I'd hate to see what you'd do to someone who hurt your fish"

Trevor shook his head sternly, "Don't even joke about it" he warned the younger man

John Paul put his hands up in a fake surrender and Trevor sighed, "Look, take it from me - don't let the past hold you back"

"I won't" John Paul murmured as he realised that he could take a leaf out of Trevor's book. After all, Trevor had a really dodgy past of crime, but had managed to turn his life around and have a family. If Trevor could do it, anyone could.

"Just make the most of what you've got" Trevor told him gravely, "Finn can't hurt you anymore, so be grateful"

John Paul nodded, "I will"

Trevor watched John Paul head over to the door slowly.

John Paul hesitated as he gripped the handle and glanced at him, "Thanks mate" he whispered

Trevor nodded, "no problem"

They exchanged a small smile before John Paul let himself out of the flat. Reflecting on the conversation, John Paul appreciated the fact that he had an opportunity to move on: he had a husband and a son that he adored, as well as a new step-child coming into the world. John Paul retrieved his mobile from his pocket and regretfully realised that he was too late to make it to Sinead's scan. Trying to figure out a way to make it up to them, John Paul realised that Sinead hadn't had a baby shower yet, so he quickly texted Diane, asking whether she would help him throw a party. Diane responded almost immediately, letting him know that he could use the flat and that she and Lockie would start preparing the food. Grinning to himself, John Paul made a mental list of items that he would need for the baby shower before heading to Price Slice.

Thanks for reading, and thanks Llanea for the prompt: I hope this is close to what you were expecting. I've really enjoyed Trevor's character development over the past few months, and he and John Paul could have a fun little friendship and definitely should have more scenes together (actually, John Paul should generally have more scenes with a lot of different characters outside of his family). Anyway, all reviews and requests are welcome!