Friend from the wild side ( AePete AU )

Chapter 11

"This is insane. No. I won't allow this." Ae crossed his arms. He paced around Lisa's apartment with fists clenched and a scowl on his face, but he knew better than to break anything out of anger. Pond's plan was stupid to say the least. Stupid, and dangerous, but the worst part was, Ae thought it could work. Possibly.

"It's a solid plan-" Pond tried, but Ae cut him off by grabbing his collar and slamming him against a wall.

"It's a shitty plan! So much could go wrong, don't you get it? Pete could die! I will never let that scumbag so much as look at him!" Ae yelled. He wasn't scared of going against Tao, but dragging Pete into it was a terrifying image. When Pond said he had a plan, Ae trusted him with something better than to make Pete the bait. Make Tao kidnap him, hurt him, then demand ransom from Pete's parents. Pond knew Pete's father was an influential figure who would not let such thing slide.

Lisa cleared her throat. "Will you two puppies continue barking or would you like my opinion? Considering you're ruining my wallpaper."

Ae's grip loosened and Pond pushed him away, annoyed. He just wanted to help, even though he knew well enough that plan was dangerous.

"What is it?" Ae barked. Lisa jabbed him in the side where she knew he had a bruise which finally knocked a bit more sense not him and he huffed, sitting on the sofa.

Lisa crossed her arms. "I think the plan is shitty-"

"That's what I'm saying!"

"-but I think it could work. As long as we cast some safety net and guarantee Pete's safety. And, as long as he agrees to it without coercion." She kicked Pond's leg. Lisa then turned to Jin with a saddened expression. "And I won't even consider telling Pete about it until you tell me what you think and want. Jin. He's your brother. I know this is difficult for you."

Jin, who spent majority of the conversation with head in both hands, finally looked up at his pregnant girlfriend. "It's not difficult for me. He might be my brother by blood, but he's not my family. He's manipulative asshole. And the prison changed him. He's so much worse now. I thought he would listen to me if I went back on his side, but I won't even try anymore. I will do anything to protect you. And I know he won't let us be happy as long as he's out of jail. He has to be gone. Locked up, or dead."

///

Pete struggled to fall asleep. Week. It's been a whole week since Ae 'broke up' with him. A week of sleepless nights and depressed days. Week of school work that went in one ear and out the other right away. His stomach hurt from skipping meals.

"Straighten up son, you're slouching." His father said during dinner.

Pete sighed, but straightened his posture and continued pushing the food around on his plate. Of course they never notice something is wrong, he thought. His mother continued talking about some new perfume brand that put gold flakes into their bottles, while his father was focused on his phone.

"Dad...I'd like you to take me to your work. I want to work with you after I graduate." Pete spoke with a small but fake smile.

It seemed to certainly capture his parent's attention and his father brightened up. "I thought you weren't interested. This is delightful. I've always hoped for this."

Pete knew this was definitely a lie; his father couldn't give rat's ass if he chose to follow in his footsteps or just do drugs like every other rich kid. All he cared about was his own prestige and wealth, and how other people perceived it.

Pete also knew nepotism would pave his way through life, he didn't have to lift a finger to have his whole future planned and secure, but he thought maybe this would be a good way to kill time. Focusing on school and work could get his mind off things related to that stupid gang leader.

"I want to be like you." Pete nodded. "Mom, do they sell the perfume in unisex or men's version? It sounds amazing." Just those words seemed to work like a charm on his mother, and suddenly Pete wished to curl into a ball and cry. Why were they only interested in him for their own selfish reasons and interests? Why was he even born? Why did they have him?He thought, maybe if he conditioned himself to care more about his parent's lives, they would care more about him.

To Pete's surprise, people at his father's company seemed to know quite a bit about him, and Pete wondered how much has his father bragged about him and his political science studies. He shook his hands with politicians, cops, and a strange men he could only describe as wealthy and shady.

"I know we don't see each other much, Pete, but I know you will do great things in life. Your grades are at the top, and your professors praise you. It's a good thing. However..." His father closed the door to his office. "You have to be certain about what sort of people you surround yourself with. Befriend those who will be beneficial to you in the long run. People you can use to your advantage. Don't get close to scum. Dispose of them."

Pete felt his heartbeat quicken. For the first time, his father cared. For the first time, it sounded as if he knew about Ae.

//

How did he get into this situation? All he wanted was to see Ae. Warn him about his father who might suspect of them. Even if Ae broke up with Pete, Pete didn't want him disposed off as his father suggested. From the way the people around them talked around them, Pete knew his fathers political connections run deep into some illegal stuff. It wasn't so far fetched, and he knew he had to tell Ae something. Anything. His phone calls and texts remained unanswered, and Pete had the stupid idea of coming to the pit. He expected to see Ae's motorcycle parked there, but the familiar ride was nowhere to be seen. Then, he made the mistake of peeking inside the warehouse.

Firm tattooed arm wrapped around his neck and slammed him against the wall, knocking the air out of his lungs. He tried to scream but no sound came out of his mouth.

"Ain't you a pretty one, hm?" Tao chuckled, his inked face close to Pete's. "What are you doing here? Did your cute little ass get lost? I think I'm gonna keep you."

Pete tried hard to fight the tears, but it was useless. They streamed down his face when the man threw him onto the mattress in the corner of the room.

"I just wanted to see Ae!" He cried out, flailing his arms around and kicking.

The man paused in his movement and held Pete's wrists down. "You are Ae's plaything? Oh, this should be interesting."