KinnPorsche at Hogwarts

Vegas x Pete [8]

As soon as Pete heard footsteps coming towards the door, he took one last sniff, wiped his nose and eyes and burrowed deeper beneath his Poo bear. When the door opened, he didn't hear any footsteps coming.

"Pete?" a quiet voice whispered. "Are you in here?"

Pete sat, casting a lumos to see.

"Frederich?" he called to the tiny, Gryffindor boy at the door. "What is it?"

"There's someone at the door for you. Vegas from Slytherin."

Pete remained in place, taking stock of his appearance. He'd been crying for hours so, there was no hope for his bulgy, red eyes. His hair was, no doubt, a mess. He hadn't showered when he got back and so, there was also that to contend with. If Vegas was looking for him, the first thing Pete always did was freshen up.

But he didn't have to freshen up. In fact, he didn't even have to go.

"Tell him to go away."

Pete turned back around and went back to bed.

***

"He said you should go away," the boy said, voice shaking as he relayed his message.

Vegas scratched his head. If he didn't talk to Pete now and those letters left the next morning, it would definitely be over. But there was nothing he could do if Pete didn't want to see him. He'd started to hate the idea of going to talk to Kinn, now. Because how would that look to Pete? He said no, so Vegas went over his head? That was not the picture Vegas wanted to paint. Not anymore.

He could come back, first thing in the morning. If he set an alarm that woke him up, he could be out here, waiting for Pete to come before anyone else was even awake. He could do this.

"It's fine," he said to Frederich. "Go to bed."

The boy scampered through the door, happy to be away from Vegas as he turned to go.

"That's it?" Vegas stopped moving. "You weren't even going to try harder?"

Elated, Vegas turned back to the door to find Pete standing there, eyes puffing and big, in his oversized night clothes and big, fluffy slippers. He looked like a mess. And, strangely, Vegas couldn't remember a time when Pete had looked more handsome.

***

"What do you want?" Pete asked.

It wasn't his fault that he couldn't help it. Curiosity. He'd come because he was curious. Not for any other reason.

"Uh..." Vegas walked as close to the paved landing leading to the Fat Lady, as any non-Gryffindor was allowed. "I was going to come back in the morning."

"What do you want, Phi?"

"Phi? That's good."

"I'm going to go back inside."

"Wait!" he stepped onto the landing as the Fat Lady hissed at him and he quickly withdrew. "Can we talk?"

Wrapping his hands around himself, Pete stepped out of the painting and walked over to where Vegas was, careful to keep a lot of room between them.

"I heard that you're going to be with Kim."

"Yes."

Vegas nodded, flinching slightly as he leaned on the banister.

"If that's what you want."

"It's what you wanted, right?"

"No. Never."

"You said-"

"I said that to hurt you."

"Well, mission accomplished."