Friend from the wild side ( AePete AU )

Chapter 4

"Hey. I know you. You're that kid that follows my brother around." Pete nearly jumped out of his skin when a young woman approached him in the store, her hands holding a single jar of some sauce. She was really pretty, tall and blonde, and Pete instantly recognised her from the big gash on her face. In the daylight the scar looked so much more prominent, but it didn't diminish her beauty at all. She didn't seem to care how some people stared at her, and she smiled at the confused boy. "Uhm, your brother is..." "Ae. We've met briefly, remember? You sat outside of the pit." "The pit...?" "That stinking hang out place. What are you doing here? I've been watching you for the past ten minutes just staring at this shelf. You okay?" She laughed, flinging her blonde hair over her shoulder. Pete had to admit the dye job on it was very good, it looked so natural.

"I'm hungry, but...I don't know what any of this stuff is." Pete admitted. The girl looked at him for a second, amused, until his expression told her he wasn't joking. That boy was serious and she didn't know if she should laugh or pity him. "Hey, do you like spaghetti? I'm about to cook lunch." "Uhm..." "It's fine, you can trust me. Just come." She smiled and Pete couldn't even protest as she dragged him away. The apartment they ended up in was quite nice though a bit small, almost the size of Pete's bedroom. "Your name is Pete, right? Ae told me." "Yes. And you are..?" "Lisa." She smiled. "Come here, help me make the meatballs." Lisa beckoned Pete into the kitchen where he stared at the bowl with minced meat, curious and confused. Pete rolled his sleeves up and hesitantly poked the meat with a spoon. "How?" "You've never made meatballs?" Lisa chuckled. "Wow, Ae was right. You're totally a rich kid, hm?"

"We have a Michelin chef as a cook and maids. I never made myself so much as a sandwich." Pete admitted as Lisa showed him how to form the little meatballs. After the little demonstration Pete finally plunged his hands into the meat mixture and squished it around, making many severely deformed meatballs. "Must be nice, growing up in a rich household. I haven't had my own bed until I was 14 and Ae..." "You two don't really look alike." Lisa smiled as she gently fixed the meatballs into a nicer shape and tossed them into a pan to sear. "We're not actual siblings. We grew up in the same neighbourhood and known each other since we were 3. You know this?" Lisa gestured towards her scarred face. "He helped me."

Pete bit his lip. "Can I ask?" She paused briefly but nodded. "When I was 12, my mom remarried, and my stepdad was...just awful. Things escalated quickly and the bastard started beating me. One day he slammed my face against a burning stove. It just so happened that Ae came to hang out and saw what's going on. Can you imagine? A little 15 year old, beating the shit out of a fat middle aged dude. That jerk now has a feeding tube and only two fingers. Careful!" Lisa jumped to the pan to lower the flame as the oil started spitting out and Pete quickly moved away, scared of the sound. "Look, now you put in the onions and garlic..and the sauce. And cover it." It all felt strange and foreign to Pete; the cooking, the eating together, the talk about personal stuff. Lisa was very nice and even listened to Pete's rambling about Ae, even though Ae has already told her the circumstances of their meeting.

"Relax, I'm no stickler for etiquette." Lisa laughed when Pete ate so slowly and cautiously while his stomach rumbled so loudly it sounded like thunder. Pete hesitated for a second before getting a reassuring nod from Lisa, and he ended up gobbling up half of his plate in a flash. "Good?" "Yeah. Very good." Pete nodded eagerly as he slowed down but still managed to stuff big spoonfuls into his mouth. "I'm surprised you were hungry; I'd think young master like you would have fridge full of food. Probably even have that maid to cook for you." "We have a chef." Lisa snorted. "Seriously? I thought you were kidding about that." "Mhm. But...I wanted something different, you know? My parents aren't home so I wanted to try instant noodles, but I had no idea which ones are what...or how to make them. Pathetic, huh..." Pete sighed as he ate the last spoonful.

"No, I think it's quite normal, not being familiar with things that you haven't grown up with. Let me pack you some and bring it to Ae for me." Lisa smiled as she loaded a big portion to a plastic lunchbox. "Actually...I haven't been there for a while." Pete admitted when Lisa thrusted the bag into his hands. "He doesn't want me around, he always nags me." "Oh baby boy." Lisa laughed and ruffled his hair. "Ae only nags people he cares about. If he didn't care, he would send the dogs on you. The other guys in the gang I mean. Ae is kind but the rest...be careful of them Pete. They don't listen to anyone or anything except for Ae, and they don't care for law. Now go, give that dumbass some food and don't give up." Lisa's expression saddened a little. "Actually I...I really want him to have someone who's a good person."

As hard it was for Pete to not come for a week, actually coming back was even harder. He walked to the place on foot instead of going back for his car, making the fatal mistake of getting caught in the rain. He arrived to the hideout soaked and cold, trembling as he crouched on the bench outside while the rain poured over him. He saw Ae's motorcycle parked amongst the others, but was too terrified to walk inside, especially after what Lisa has told him. Someone walked out of the entrance briefly but Pete wasn't sure if that man even noticed him until he disappeared and another person came out. Ae. Pete could swear he saw that man smile for a second before he stormed over, shielding his face from the rain.

"What the f-" "I brought you food." Pete held out the big lunchbox infront of him, his hands shaking. "Miss Lisa made it. She cooked me dinner and-" Pete gasped when Ae grabbed his wrist harshly and dragged him into the run down building. As Pete stumbled behind him he kept his eyes on the ground, avoiding the stares of those ragged looking guys at all cost. "Scram." Ae barked at two men sitting by the fire pit before pushing Pete onto a stone bench and sitting beside him, opening the lunchbox. "How did you and my sister got to know each other?" He asked, digging a fork to the lukewarm meal. "Accidental meeting in the store. You told her about me, didn't you? The one time I've seen her was only a few seconds...can't believe she remembered me."

Ae nodded, chewing slowly as he stared into the flames that warmed them up. "You didn't come for eight days..." He muttered, finally looking at Pete who was leaning over the fire pit to keep warm. He was shivering and his wet shirt stuck to his chest, making him feel even more uncomfortable than the intense stares of Ae's gang. Pete straightened up. "I didn't think you wanted me to, considering..." Pete looked around. All the men around them seemed quite young, with the delinquent style giving them a few extra years. They were all definitely younger than what they looked. Four of them played cards by a wobbly table in the corner and three were scattered around. The place was messy, with guitar leaned against the wall, something that faintly resembled a mattress by the opposite corner, some sleeping bags, and a crazy amount of alcohol bottles all around.

"Me not wanting you here hasn't stopped you before, so..why didn't you come?" Ae asked quietly. Pete sighed. "I wanted to confirm something. My friend said...that my feelings for you are just a suspension bridge effect. I thought he might be right, but...I don't think he is. I like you...I'm in love with you. I don't know why, I just am. I think about you all the time." He said so only Ae could hear him, his voice still trembling. Ae stood up without a word, leaving Pete alone for a moment until he returned with a thin blanket. He draped it over the boy's shoulders and added a compressed briquette into the fire, making the flames go higher and warming them up more. "Are you free tomorrow? Wanna go for a ride with me?" Ae pointed at his motorcycle. "You mean...just the two of us?" "Yeah...just the two of us."