Six Crimson Seeds (A VegasPete Persephone AU)

Chapter 17: Treading Water

    Macau stayed with Pete the rest of the week, only leaving his side when Pete needed a break to be alone. Vegas, pointedly, stayed away.

When it was time to return to Olympus, Pete was determined not to cry. Yai beamed at him, squeezing him tightly for as long as she could. Pete pulled away, saying for the fifth time that he really had to get back, and Yai nodded. Then, she pulled Macau in for a tight hug, whispering, "Thank you," in his ear. Yai was still reluctant to let Pete go, but she knew he now had friends for the first time in his life. He had made true friends that he could depend on and who could understand him. It was an exchange she was willing to make for Pete. She wouldn't live forever, after all, and Pete needed to spread his wings in the world.

As much as Pete didn't want to leave Yai, he knew the return to a routine would help keep his mind off of him. And it worked. Some days, Pete could go several minutes at a time without being reminded of Vegas. Some nights, he didn't stay up going over everything to find what sign he missed or what he possibly did wrong until his body shut down. Some mornings, he didn't wake up feeling the phantom of Vegas's lips on his own.

Vegas, for his part, didn't even try to avoid Olympus. On the contrary, he was there almost every day. Pete had frozen the first time he saw Vegas in the hallway, but Vegas acted as if Pete was a specter, invisible in his black suit and white shirt. Nothing more than part of the decor.

One day, Pete lazed by the pool, staring off into the distance while cooling his feet in the water. A small splash alerted him to Tay's presence as he sat down.

"It hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?"

Pete almost feigned ignorance, almost asked Tay what he could possibly be referring to, but Tay gave him a soft stare that pinned him down and forced him to speak honestly.

"Did Macau tell you?"

"He didn't have to. I'm no stranger to heartbreak."

Tay didn't speak about Time often, and Pete never asked, but it seemed like the best chance he would get.

"How did you get through it? Did you still have to see him all the time?"

"Not every day. But I still see him. It hurt for a while. It brings up old memories, even now, not all of them bad. But I couldn't spend my time dwelling on someone who never cared about me."

But Vegas does care about me, Pete thought, before correcting himself. Did.

"You need to be the one to care about yourself, Pete. Find out what makes you happy."

Pete didn't say that Vegas made him happy. Did he really? If he did, then why did he feel like he was wasting away without him? That couldn't be what happiness felt like.

"You're right," Pete said. "I should focus on my classes. And maybe I can talk to Chan about doing some more training and taking on more responsibilities."

"That's my boy!" Tay shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. More quietly, he said, "If you want, I can help you blow off some steam. Show you something cool?"

"Alright." Pete was intrigued. And rightly so, for what Tay showed him was pretty unique.

After walking out to the garden, Tay asked Pete to produce several dozen roses. Pete did so easily, after making sure no one was watching them. After Tay pulled out a blade and cut the roses with long stems, they carried them inside and went to the gun range. There, Tay dropped the roses on the table.

"Now, Pete, I want you to imagine each of these contains a little bit of your sadness. Your anger. Your humiliation. We are going to take these, and send them flying."