The Perfect Child / An HH Fanfic

Long Talk

Peter laid on the bed staring up at the ceiling. He was so tired. He tried so hard to wrap his head around his situation. But it felt like his thoughts were going a thousand kilometers an hour. The only word that he could recall in his head was 'Why?'

Just then, a knock came from the door. "Uh, yes? Is it you, Henry?"

"Yeah, it's me. I got your sandwich here, Peter."

"..Come in."

Henry carefully opened the door, holding a plate in one hand. "You feeling okay?" he asked as he walked into the room, putting the sandwich on the bedside table, and sitting next to his brother. "Not really." Peter replied.

Henry stayed silent for a second, unsure of what to say next. He wasn't exactly known for being comforting to his brother. Or anyone for that matter, "Look... I'm sorry that you had to realise this now."

"I thought they loved me." Peter's voice was so small and weak, but even this positively broke Henry's hardened heart, "I thought so too."

As far back as both boys could remember, they've been dealt quite different cards in this life. Henry being told he was horrid, and Peter being told he was perfect. Where Peter followed the rules, Henry would break them. Where Henry lied, Peter told the truth. They were told they were black and white, and treated as such. Peter being favoured over Henry. However, ever since Henry left the house, Peter had started to falter. The cold reality of life really hit the younger boy, to the point where at one point during a cello lesson, he had an epiphany:

Did he even like what he was doing?

He was playing cello just like he always did, and while it was nice to be praised and told he was doing amazing... The only reason he played was for the praise. The reassurance, the affirmation, and now without someone to pin all the bad onto he realised he wasn't truly perfect. He didn't even know who he was. He did everything right just because he was told that was what he was supposed to do.

Peter would end up having a breakdown that day. The first in a while, and the one that set off a chain of confusion, betrayal, and resentment to his parents. He felt bad for the way he was feeling, but he couldn't help it. He was everything his parents wanted him to be, and that realisation completely and utterly broke him.

It was why he turned to Henry. Even though he wasn't always the best brother, he knew he cared about him. He knew ever since Henry scared away that aggressive dog when he was little, and furthermore protected him from a falling shelf another time.

Henry gently pushed the plate into Peter's hands, "I really think you should eat something, Peter. There's cucumber, you know, how you like it."

Peter just stared at the plate in his hands, "I don't know if I even liked cucumber in the first place."

"Oh. You can take them out if you won't like them."

"... Henry, why are you being so nice to me?"

Henry shrugged, "I guess I knew all along that Mum and Dad didn't like me as much as you, and sure I hated you back then too," He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "But, you know, Margaret encouraged me to get therapy, and well, it helped me be a bit more patient and understanding. My therapist warned me that someday you're going to realise what was happening, and that you'll need me when you do. It's cool stuff, it gave me a lot of clarity about my childhood, and it helped me get diagnosed for autism and ADHD."