Work Text:
Peter can’t sleep, he looks at Caroline peacefully sleeping next to him then the digital clock on the nightstand, its bright electronic numbers being the only light in the room. It’s 1 AM, and he sighs, sitting up in bed, putting a hand to his dial before getting out of bed, slowly and quietly enough not to wake his wife, and he leaves the bedroom, standing in the hallway, tiredness sweeping over him, and he looks back to the bedroom. He’ll get a glass of water and then go back to sleep. He starts walking down the stairs, making his way to the kitchen with a yawn, flicking on the light in the hallway, his vision adjusting to the light. Peter then stares at the kitchen light switch, realizing he could have just turned that on instead of the hallway. He then shakes his head at his own stupidity, blaming it on his exhaustion.
As Peter makes his way over to the cupboard to grab a glass, his head starts ringing and that makes him jump. Who in the absolute hell is calling him at this hour? It takes him about three seconds to grab his handset from his head, putting it to his “ear” before answering in a quiet and tired tone. “Hello?” He answers, leaning his back and his other arm against the counter top, wondering who could be calling him? Then it hits him! Only one person would be calling him at the dead of night. His boss, Roger Jones… who is probably drunk. You know what, maybe it’s not, Peter thinks to himself. Maybe it’s Jack, he does this type of stuff too! Unfortunately, maybe even not unfortunately, he hears Roger’s stuttery voice in the other line, and all he can do is shake his head. Of course it’s Roger. Who else would it be? Peter mentally laughs at himself for considering it to be anyone else.
“H…Hi, Peter!” Roger sputters over the phone, almost dropping his own handset on the floor, and Peter can hear it due to the shuffling feedback. Roger lays on his couch, staring up at the ceiling in a drunken haze. “S…sorry for… uh, the la—late call, but… I want—wanted to talk to you…” Roger’s tone is hard to read over the phone, it almost sounds…sad in a way, but Peter can’t really tell for sure due to his stuttering and how drunk he sounds. Roger then puts a hand over his dial, sniffing for a moment. “Uh, my—my girlfriend broke with me… you—you were right about… her, I-I guess.” Roger almost sounds… emotionless, and a sigh from him transfers on Peter’s end of the line. Roger, unfortunately, expects everyone to leave him. This girl leaving him made him upset, yes, but it was something he knew was going to happen. Sure, maybe not out right, but deep down, he knew.
Peter isn’t sure how to react hearing the news, and he shakes his head with disappointment, not at Roger, no, absolutely not. He’s disappointed in that girl. He then feels guilt and empathy for Roger. “I’m sorry that happened,” Peter says, clearing his throat. “I can tell you’re drunk, but it’s obvious you’re hurting so… I guess I can let you off the hook.” Peter then proceeds to wonder how this happened? It’s not the time to ask something like that though. He needs to try to offer comfort to Roger, but it’s hard to tell if he even wants something like that, but Peter already knows that’s what he wants, and he will always give it. How can he not? Roger means the world to him. Peter knows it’s wrong for him to feel such… feelings for his boss, but he can’t help it. There’s something about Roger he just… wants for himself, and God, Peter isn’t even sure what that is. It also makes him feel like a bad husband due to having Caroline. Peter still loves her obviously, but he also loves Roger. Is it possible for him to love both?
Roger takes a few seconds to respond as he tries to form words, but it’s harder due to all of his alcohol intake. The smell around him is strong and he’s almost glad Peter isn’t here to smell it, but another part of him wants him with him, he’s lonely. Roger doesn’t have anyone important in his life anymore… baddies Peter, who’s always been there when he needed him. “It’s… alright, I guess. She—She already packed up her… stuff and le—left,” Roger says, and then he turns his head to the side, seeing another bottle of beer, unopened and ready for him to drink. He reaches over, and after failing to grab it a few times, he finally does, popping off the top and taking a long sip. “I… I hope—“ Roger stops talking to catch his breath. “I hope I didn’t… wake you.” His tone is even more slurred than it already was, and Peter can most definitely tell, even if they’re over the phone. “I, uhm… just wanted someone to… to talk to.” His tone sounds a bit guilty now. He should know better than to call Peter during this time or night, but once again, Peter is the only one he has at this point.
Peter isn’t sure what to say, and he looks down at the floor, clicking his “tongue” static coming from his voice box for a couple of seconds until he sighs. “No, you didn’t wake me. I actually couldn’t sleep.” A chuckle escapes Peter’s throat and he rubs the back of his neck. “The best thing you can do is try to get sober now, Roger. For real this time.” Peter’s voice is stern, yet gentle and moving. Roger is prone to crying, and he’s sure he’s already got it out of his system, but Peter needs to be absolutely sure not to make him even more upset. Ugh, that thought makes him uncomfortable—being the source of Roger’s tears. “If you want, I can come over, we can clean your apartment—give you a whole new fresh start. Does that sound nice?” He asks, realizing how stupid he might sound, and he fights back a yawn, shaking his head. Wow, what a night this is turning into. He loves hearing Roger’s voice though. It’s fun to listen to, his stuttering is so unique to him and only him, it fascinates Peter to a degree.
“I really like the… sound of that.”
“Yeah? Well, I’ll be there tomorrow. I can even see if Caroline wants to help out.”
“Oh… I li—like Caroline… She’s… She’s nice.”
Silence fills the call again until Roger speaks up and says something… very, very, unexpected. “Peter, we… we should hook up.” The way Roger said it was quiet, but Peter definitely heard it. He doesn’t seem to care or acknowledge the fact he said something as outlandish as that. Roger is then confused by Peter’s silence and he groans in embarrassment. “Peter… are you mad at me?” He asks, stretching the “r” sound on Peter’s name. He tries to make the situation… less awkward by continuing to talk, but this just makes it worse… so much worse. “You… you know? I’ve… I’ve felt a certain way about you and—“ Peter cuts Roger off.
Peter is stunned, frozen in place by what Roger just said to him. How… How does he even respond to something like that? He listens to Roger ask him if he’s mad, and he is not mad at all. Far from it! He is just floored by what Roger just said to him, and after a few moments, he cuts Roger off. “I’m… I’m sorry, what did you just say?” He asks, making sure if he heard Roger correctly when he absolutely did. His heart beats out of his chest, and his head suddenly feels heavy. Roger just (drunkenly) confirmed that… that he feels the same way. One part of Peter is happy, yes, but the other? Mad. Mad at himself for ever feeling like this towards Roger when he has a loving wife. “I’m not… I’m not mad, Roger. I just…” Peter sighs, walking towards the living room to sit down on the couch. “It’s a lot to take in,” He says, sitting on the couch, a hand to his dial as he waits for Roger’s response. He wonders if Roger even means what he says at this moment. He’s drunk! There’s no way he could mean something like that!
“It’s the tru—truth, Peter. I do… I do like you.”
“Roger, I… Wow, I’m not sure what to say.”
“Oh… I’m… I’m sorry.”
“No, no, don’t apologize. You’re fine. I get it, but uh, how about we talk about this when I get to your apartment tomorrow, alright?”
Roger is embarrassed, but also… too drunk to really even care about the impact of what he just said. “Okay, I’m… I’m sorry if I upset you.” Roger’s tone hushes into an apologetic and meek one. Like Peter, Roger also has the fear of upsetting Peter. He’s also terrified of Peter leaving him. He doesn’t want Peter to hate him, but he also can’t comprehend why Peter doesn’t. He’s a mess, one that could never be fixed. A mess that will continue to get worse as time progresses onwards. He fights back his tears. Now is not the time to cry. Peter said he wasn’t mad, so why is he getting sad? Perhaps it’s the fact Peter didn’t exactly respond in a way he wanted to. Wow, he’s selfish. No wonder Peter doesn’t like him back or even want him. Are… Are you sure you’re not mad?” He asks, feeling himself start to cry, but he quickly tries to stop it. Now is not the time to cry.
“No, no, Roger, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s gonna be fine. As I said, we’ll talk about this when I see you tomorrow. How about you try to sleep? I can stay on the line with you. How about that?”
“You… You’d do that for me?”
“Roger, I’d do anything for you.”
“Alright… good night.”
“Good night.”
As Peter sets down his handset next to him, he sighs, looking up at the ceiling again. Wow, that was… something. He’s surprised, happy, upset, and… scared all at the same time. He can’t even tell what emotion is dominant right now, he feels them all at once. He can’t do anything about it now by trying to sleep, and that’s what he does, he lets out a sigh, gets comfortable on the couch and drifts off to sleep… after a long while.