KinnPorsche at Hogwarts

Vegas x Pete [6]

"Take a moment."

Vegas pulled himself back, carefully aware of the fuming Pete beyond Arm. He doubted a moment would be enough for whatever the fuck was going on with Pete. When he raised a hand to his neck, clearing his throat, his hands shook to the point that he couldn't even feel his neck. His jaw felt like it had been run over by a truck. There was a trickle down the back of his head that Vegas just knew was blood. It had to be. Not to mention the uncomfortable spasm in his back.

"Pete," Arm said. "I have to take him to the hospital wing. Don't make this worse."

Pete spared Vegas one last look that almost looked like regret, but resembled contempt. A brief second, probably less, but it felt like an eternity, as Vegas sat there, unable to look away. Behind all that rage, Pete still called to Vegas. Even with the pain flowing through his body, Vegas still wanted to reach up and touch.

But then the moment was over and Pete was walking away.

"Phi-Vegas, come on," Arm urged, lifting his hand.

"Ow."

He pulled his hand down. It hurt to move. It hurt to be there. It even hurt to think. Vegas didn't want to go to the stupid hospital wing. He wanted to lie on the floor and cry and wail till everybody came to ask why. But then he thought of that actually happening and the shame made him attempt to lift his hand again.

"Ca-careful," Vegas said.

"Okay," Arm replied, trying again, much slower this time.

But before they could secure his arm over Arm's shoulder, Pete was there again, lifting Vegas' other arm, grabbing him on the waist and lifting him into a standing position.

"Careful!" Arm said.

"Let go-"

Pete's angry face turned to Vegas and any retort he had, died right there on his tongue.

"What are you doing?" Arm asked.

"You keep babying him and you'll never make it to the hospital wing."

Vegas held on to Pete, despite how much he wanted to push away. Because he hated it. He didn't want to go anywhere with this Pete. This Pete looked nothing like his Pete. This charging bull who wanted to hurt Vegas, who wouldn't listen to Vegas. He had no idea who this person was.

"Do you think this changes anything?" Vegas asking, keeping his voice low, trying not to breathe whenever he spoke to reduce the crushing pain. Which just made it hurt more when he took shaky breaths once he was done talking.

Pete didn't reply.

"Just because you're taking me to... ow, do you think this will save you now?"

Pete didn't even look at him. Instead, he kept his face ahead, moving with Vegas, ignoring him again. Vegas was ashamed to admit that, in that moment, he'd give anything to have Pete acknowledge him, somehow. Even if it was to call him Khun-Vegas.

Walking slowly, taking less traveled hallways, they moved together with Pete adjusting to every grunt of pain from Vegas, while Arm followed behind them. Vegas wondered if a part of Arm's behavior was influenced by how they all secretly felt about how Vegas treated Pete. Maybe Arm thought Vegas had it coming.

It hadn't taken anything for Arm to stand aside and let Pete take him. He hadn't even put up much of a fight to defend Vegas in the first place. There was a chance that Pete would have physically fought Arm to take Vegas to the hospital wing, but Arm never even gave him a chance. He just stood aside and let Pete take him.

Vegas wanted to cry.

He'd somehow taken it for granted that he was safe. And he was. There weren't many people in the school who would dare try to challenge him. But that didn't protect him from the unlikeliest and realest danger of them all: Pete.