And I Will Consume You

10

Shuffling out of bed slowly, Pete limped towards the in suite bathroom, shutting the door behind himself and letting a hot bath run, watching as it filled gradually, foaming the more the steady stream hit soapy water.  Pete was beyond depressed. He was miserable. He blamed himself for everything that had and could have happened, he blamed himself for falling for the devil's tricks and he blamed himself for staying. Vegas didn't seem to care one bit, he didn't even seem to notice. Was this really how the rest of his life would go? He'd be used and abused as much as Vegas liked until he either broke or got boring. He was nothing but a toy. At least that's what he thought. Pete sunk into the water, his lips just below the surface and nose left being the only thing filing his lungs. He wanted to disappear. For this all to go away and for everything to magically work out if not go back to the way things were before.

In reality, Vegas was terribly angry with himself. He was infuriated, enraged. Where had that strong, independent, emotionless man that he used to be gone? Why did he get so angry when he saw someone flirt with Pete? Why did he have to prove to himself that Pete was his?... Why didn't he hate the idea of loving him? His entire life Vegas had gone bearing the pain and pressure his father inflicted onto him, carrying the weight of both responsibility and expectations for him and his younger brother. He'd never been given a break, he'd never had a moment to breathe. His father was relentless and cold- the type of man you would hope to never encounter in your life. He wasn't just cruel, he was evil incarnate. Vegas had just adjusted to fit that mold as best he could even though he knew he would never be good enough for his father's standards. There wasn't a moment of the day where he didn't strive to compete with Kinn, to be better than him and to prove to his father that he was worthy. There wasn't a second of his life he'd taken to reflect on how terrible a person he'd really become, all just to satisfy the man that had beaten him as a kid. He never had a friend, a lover, not even someone he could trust. He'd spent his entire life alone. Vegas knew what Pete was going through. He knew Pete was unhappy. He knew that Pete regretted ever looking him in the eye and he knew that whatever he felt for that boy, it wasn't going away. No matter how much he cursed himself, trying to prove what he felt was nothing more than lust for the sake of both of them.

Seconds, minutes, hours ticked by and the water had run cold, Pete's fingers pruned up and the faint knocking of the door could be heard even with his head submerged completely. Rinsing off the soap in his hair, Pete pulled the drain and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around himself before answering the door to find a mildly worried Vegas waiting for him. "I thought you drowned, you've been in there for so long"

Vegas wasn't blind nor was he stupid. It was more than clear to him that he was the cause of this issue and only he could resolve it, but how? Pete was a mess, all because of him. He really had ruined him, but it didn't feel good the way he thought it would. Pete simply shook his head, no, and pushed himself past the space between Vegas from the doorframe to go get some clothes though he still struggled to walk, his lower back not having fully recovered and legs still shaky with every step until he eventually collapsed. Barely holding himself up with the support of the large antique wardrobe, Pete damn near burst out into tears. That was until surprise and shock overtook him feeling someone swooping him up into his arms. Vegas wanted to apologize, he wanted to say anything at all, anything that might help or make this situation easier for either of them, but he didn't. Being careful as he handled the boy, Vegas carried Pete back to the bed, setting him down and leaving a stack of his own clothes beside the other to make it easier for him. "Get dressed, I'll be back in a minute to take you downstairs."

With that, the older of the two left the room and cursed to himself, trying not to punch a wall in the process. He was so torn between wrong, right, and his own ease that he didn't know what to do anymore. On one hand he wanted to let Pete go, do whatever he wanted. Go back to Kinn if he so pleased, but on the other hand Vegas was too selfish to let him go. He wanted to keep Pete locked up, chained to his wrist and never to leave his side but at the same time he knew that wouldn't make Pete happy. It wouldn't make anybody happy. Pete had a life and friends and hobbies, who would want all that taken away from them? Pacing back and forth for a few minutes, Vegas growled, unhappy but dead set on his final decision.

Pete heard a gentle knock at the door and called out for the person on the other side to come in, but when he found it was Vegas with a strained expression, as if he was being held at gunpoint, Pete tensed up. "Get out" Vegas finally said through a sigh and a grumble. "Huh?" Pete was dumbfounded, not quite sure where that came from nor what Vegas meant by it. "Get out! Go Home!" the other spat, his displeasure becoming more and more noticable with every word. "Leave. Before I change my mind"

The boy was unsure what to do, but when the other slapped his fist against the concrete wall, he had no choice but to grab his shit and run. He knew better than anyone else that, that was a threat. Was Vegas already bored of him? Rushing through the courtyard and out of the front gate of the minor family's house, Pete called a taxi and got inside, his stomach twisting and bile rising to his throat. Where was he going to go now? There was really only one answer to that question that wouldn't end up getting him beaten up or killed, and that was home. It wasn't even home anymore, it was just a house. A small, empty house gathering dust. He hadn't been there in so many years but didn't have the heart to sell it. How could he sell his grandmother's home? The place he was raised and taken care of after his parents had passed away. Hopefully he could find a way to make it livable again. "So, where are we headed?"

"Take me to the sea"