Six Crimson Seeds (A VegasPete Persephone AU)

Chapter 1: Planting the Seeds

A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoy this tale. As for now, I am planning on updating bi-weekly, but if I can get a lot completed ahead of schedule, I may post more often. I'm not entirely sure how many chapters there will be, and the tags and rating may change as I go, so please keep an eye on those.

It's an AU I've been wanting to write, so things are going to be very different, but I just want to have fun with it. VegasPete are still my babies and I want to write more about them as much as I can.

PLEASE READ: I do not plan on this fic getting Mature, but there is violence. It's an AU but still VegasPete and we all know they have trash dads who are abusive, so please take care while reading. I will not place a note before each chapter with warnings unless I feel it is absolutely necessary, so consider this the warning. There will be domestic violence at least mentioned and some general violence. I am not planning on any explicit sexual content at this time, but that could change. In that case, I will indicate and change the rating. 

UPDATE: This fic does indeed contain explicit sexual content.

    Sunlight rippled through the trees, the breeze offering a moment of reprieve from the intense heat as the small group of boys played. The local, a boy with a thick mop of straight black hair, was leading the others around. It was the third day the others had sought him out to play while they were visiting the little island. Their game of hide-and-seek quickly turned into a strategic battle of wits, with the local boy teaming up with the more serious-looking visitor. He always seemed to carry a frown that was stitched with a smirk. His cousin, a confident boy with thick eyebrows, was searching methodically for the two of them as they covered their giggles with their hands. He moved past them, and the serious boy grabbed the local boy's hand to quietly lead him to a new hiding place. They crouched in the dark of the shed, having shut the door silently behind them. The local boy knew he wasn't supposed to play in there, but he was having so much fun that he didn't even think about it. He didn't have any friends because his grandmother kept him home and rarely let him out of her sight, especially when there were visitors to the island. It just happened that she needed to cover her produce stall at the perfect times when these boys stumbled upon her lonely grandson.

"This is fun," the mop-headed boy whispered.

"Really?" the other boy responded. He sounded surprised.

"Yeah. I really like you."

The other boy's eyebrows rose dramatically. No one had ever told him that before. His stomach squirmed and before he knew it, he was leaning forward to peck the other boy on the lips.

"I like you, too."

"Found you!" his cousin bellowed, throwing the door to the shed open with a shout.

The kiss was momentarily brushed aside as all three boys squealed loudly. They ran around the yard for a few minutes until they became too tired. Hungry, the local boy led them to a large, twisted tree. Reaching up, he plucked three ripe pomegranates, exposing the six red birthmarks that resembled small seeds scattered above his left hip.

"Pete!" the boy's grandmother yelled, startling him enough that he dropped the fruits.

"Yai," Pete answered, his voice barely above a whisper. He knew he was in trouble. He was always taught to be wary of strangers, but they were just boys like him. What threat could they pose?

"We should go," the boy with thick eyebrows said, tapping the other boy on the shoulder to get his attention as he stared sadly at Pete. Pete glanced back at him, the kiss they shared suddenly flashing through his mind again. The other boy looked remorseful as if he somehow knew the punishment Pete would get later for disobeying. Before Pete could say goodbye, the two of them were gone.