The Breeders

P4 II

Peter pushed the door open to find Venus standing in front of her small countertop whipping the clumps out of her batter.

His eyes traveled over her trim frame. Over the last several months, he's stuck to being the supporting friend. She took the loss of Cas and Mars hard. Mars is harder than Cas. She blamed herself for bringing him to the compound that they were kept in.

If she hadn't left, she would have still been with him and their children. Peter never wished death on Mars. If anything, he would have traded his life for Mars. It would have been worth it for not only Venus but for Dex and Pepa's sake.

The most he could give was Venus a shoulder to cry on and whispers of comfort.

His feelings for her never wavered, even after realizing Venus would have never picked him over Mars. Not that he was surprised. Mars was the father of her children.

Venus' head turned and looked at him over her shoulder. A small smile graces her lips, but the hint of sorrow didn't go unnoticed by Peter. It was a sadness that tainted all of the MBs in the ghetto. He hadn't seen a genuine smile in months.

"Dinner will be ready in just a couple of minutes." Venus' attention turned back to the batter before she set it down and readied her skillet.

Peter shut the door behind him and took a seat at the wobbly metal stool at her breakfast bar.

"I saw Pepa yesterday." His sudden admittance quickly drew Venus' attention.

"Why? What's wrong." Venus knew he meant his sister, who was working as the MBs' physician when needed.

"Nothing." He gave her a partial truth. "I just got a little burn at the factory. It's already back to normal. She was telling me that she and about a group of fifty norms are going to hold a protest at the capital tomorrow."

Venus poured the batter into the pan and watched it bubble. "For us?"

Peter gave a small nod. "She thinks it'll draw the media's attention."

Venus carefully filled the pancake in the pan as a scowl drew on her face. "I doubt it'll help."

"I've been reading history books from the library." Peter folds his arms on the counter in front of him. "Trying to figure out how revolutions start, how they succeeded. Some started with just a few people tried of being treated like shit. Some took decades for equality to finally set in, but it did finally take, Vee. It has to start somewhere."

She nodded in agreement. "I know. I'm not trying to back out of the fight. I want this for my children, all of them, but I wish it would go faster. We have no way to defend ourselves."

"I think what Pepa is doing is going to help though." Peter got up from his stool and rounded the counter, coming up behind Venus.

He reached around her and carefully took the spatula from her hands to take overcooking. "The sad fact of the matter is, we just don't have the numbers to make a difference. If the media spreads the words maybe other norms will come forward and help fight."

Venus stepped out of them for him but still stayed near as she hopped up on the counter next to the stove. "I just don't like trusting norms, save your sister."

A smirk pulled at the corner of Peter's lips. "She's one of a kind. But trusting those that she recruits to help is trusting Pepa. Plus we don't have much of choice."

Peter scooped the pancake out and set it on the plate Venus held out to him. After he fixed one for himself, they both indulged in a little syrup to sweeten it before they dug in. A faint bitter taste bit they tounges from the dirty water Venus had to mix the batter.