“Uhhhhhh
you know something….. I dunno….. I honestly have no clue where they
come from… where ever they come from it’s covered in these things…
because these things don’t die until you eat them…”—
Peter keeps crying calling for his mother curling around himself in a tight ball. “I want my momma… I want her back!”
“Oh really? I wonder if Carlos has had a chance to study them. He doesn’t usually work with animals, but I’m very curious…”
–
Carlos quickly got in to send the woman away. “I’m so sorry – he’s been having a bad day. We’ve got him now though, we’ll take care of him.”
Mikey positioned himself in front of Kraglin and Peter to deter people from stopping and looking.
Kraglin scooted closer to Peter and put an arm around his shoulder. “Peter… come on, Petey… Look at me. I’m right here, buddy.”
Peter shakes his head as he continues to sob. “I want to go home……. I don’t want to be a ravager anymore. I want to go home…. to grandpa… grandma…… to….. to……. Momma……. home to momma….”
“She ain’t here, Pete,” Kraglin told him softly. “She’s gone. It’s just me, Kraglin. And Yondu… Yondu’s back at the house, remember?”
Sniffs and lets out a heart wrenching sob. “I WANT TO GO HOME!!!!!” Flies into a full out panic attack and emotional break down screaming into his knees and pulling at his hair while hyperventilating.
Kraglin grabbed Peter’s wrists and tried to yank them away from his hair. He put his arms around Pete’s shoulders and hugged him tightly, trying to act as a buffer between Peter and his own hands.
“We should get him in the car and back home,” Carlos said. “I… Jesus, I had no idea it could get this bad.”
“Does this happen often?” Mikey asked Carlos, trying not to sound alarmed.
“Not very, but we’re on Earth now so this is a huge change in circumstances…*
Peter panting hard and fast fingers clenching into the back of kraglins coat whole body shaking moments from completely shattering and losing himself.
Kraglin just held him, shushing gently and rocking him a bit. “M’here, Pete… Krags is here…”
“Mikey, can you run and buy a bag of Cheetos?” Carlos asked.
“Why?” asked Mikey.
“It’s familiar – it might help ground him.”
Mikey nodded and quickly sprinted away.
Pressed closer to him almost curling into a ball on his lap clutching not letting go. “Momma……..”
Kraglin rubbed Peter’s back. “She’s not here… It’s just me and Carlos.”
“Take deep breaths, Petey,” Carlos cooed gently, moving to kneel beside the pair as well.
Peter after a bit settled down but he was completely quiet severely subdued, no life or energy in him. A empty shell of his normal self.
Mikey finally came back with a small bag of Cheetos. “Thanks, Mikey,” Carlos said, grabbing the bag. He opened it and held the bag under Peter’s nose. “Peter… what does that smell like, Peter?”
Kraglin wrinkled his nose and glanced at the bag in confusion. “How in the… what are those?”
“Cheetos,” Carlos explained. “Very similar to Beasties, actually.”
Peter blinks at the smell and to him they smelled exactly like beasties and sniffs looking in the bag before looking at carlos not eating them because he wanted to keep hold of Kraglin. “Beasties…….. just…like….. Cheetos…….. dad loves Beasties…….”
“Yeah, he does,” Carlos said. He took out a Cheeto and held it up for Peter to eat. “Here you go, buddy. Have a bite.” Carlos started to think about how they were going to get Peter in the car and back to the house. Maybe the shopping trip hadn’t been a good idea…
Peter takes a bite of the Cheeto and just snuggles against Kraglin. “Sorry…… I ruined the trip………-sniffs- like always….”
“Shush… it’s okay, Pete,” Kraglin said. “You just need a minute. Let’s go outside to the vehicle and just sit… it’s got a music-player in it. None of this slow-ass stuff the store’s playin’.”
“And the snacks might help you out,” Carlos said, shaking the bag a bit. “We’ll get more, so you can eat as much as you want. Don’t worry about it.”
Peter nods sniffing as he stands one hand clutching the bag the other white knuckled on kraglins jacket as they head to the car. “She looked just like mom…….. I … I thought it…… was her….”
Kraglin put an arm around Peter as they headed out, Carlos and Mikey leading the way back to the car. Carlos glanced back at Peter, concerned.
“It’s okay, Pete… I know,” Kraglin said softly.
Once back in the car peter curls up on kraglins lap pressing his face to his chest and munches on the Cheetos slowly.
Carlos turned to the oldies music station, as it was closer to what Peter was familiar with. Mikey peered over the back of his seat at the two spacemen, watching them.
Kraglin continued to rub Peter’s back, trying to help calm him down some.
Peter continues to munch them snuggles against him face pressed to his chest.closing his eyes finally calmed down from his panic attack.
“We can run to the Wendy’s and get ourselves some ice cream before we give the store another shot,” Mikey suggested. He glanced at Peter. “Hey, Peter… you’re not lactose intolerant, are you?”
“Lack… toast?” Kraglin asked, frowning at Mikey. “The fuck does ‘lack toast’ mean??”
Peter just smiles and snuggles and hugs him. “Means. You can’t have dairy…… no I’m not…” looks up at Kraglin.
“Oh – neither am I!” Kraglin said. He grinned slightly. He loved cheese! None of the cheese in space had this ‘lactose’ stuff in it, but it was probably just a fancy word for something else. Kraglin couldn’t eat some things, but he was always down for ice cream.
“Sounds like a plan then,” Carlos said. “You want ice cream, Pete?”
The Perfect Scientist 