I'm Half-Doomed and You're Semi-Sweet

It was almost dawn by the time Pete returned to the warehouse, deciding to try and get some sleep before seeking out Kira.

She wasn’t in her room when he woke up, and he couldn’t find her anywhere else in the warehouse.

“Has anyone seen Kira?” Pete asked, to anyone who was listening.

“Nope,” Joe replied.

“She isn’t sleeping?” Andy questioned.

“When did you last see her?” Patrick asked.

“Last night, before I went out-”

“You went out?” he demanded sharply. “Pete, you said you’d stay with her-”

“I know,” he said, frustrated.

“What did you say to her?” Hanna asked, curiously.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he growled, narrowing his eyes at her. He didn’t even know she’d been listening in; he figured she’d be too absorbed in her conversation with Brendon.

“Nothing,” she responded. “Just…never mind,” she replied, choosing to avoid confrontation.

“Do you think she ran away?” Brendon questioned.

“Even if she did, we need to look for her, it isn’t safe for her to be alone,” Patrick pointed out.

Pete looked away; although Patrick hadn’t been implying anything, he still felt put on the spot for leaving her in the first place.

This was his fault.

“Come on, we’ll search the city. Brendon and Hanna can take the north side, and Joe and Andy will get the south,” Patrick said, meanwhile Joe and Andy immediately went to quickly grab equipment for protection, just in case. He spoke mainly to Pete. “You and me can get downtown.”

Everyone else prepared for the search party, and Pete remained motionless.

Part of Pete wanted to search both every single dark alley and well-lit street in the city, but it would seem odd that he go through such lengths for Kira, who he realized, despite how long he’d known her- having lived with her, even- he didn’t necessarily know a lot about.

He didn’t know exactly how she was tied to Gaskarth and his vampires, besides the scant unsatisfying details she’d given him.

He knew nothing about what her life had been like before she got involved with vampires.

And he obviously didn’t know where she could possibly be at this exact moment.

Now that she was gone, he wished he’d had a chance to find out all the small things.

For some strange reason, he found himself wanting to know her favorite color, bad stories from her teenage years, and even what she expected of the future- all things he’d never bothered to ask.

What he did know was that he liked the fact that she could relate to him better than anyone at the warehouse, and she wasn’t even a vampire.

He liked that she was sarcastic and stubborn and headstrong.

He liked that she didn’t take his shit and confronted him when necessary.

He liked how unpredictable but persistent she was.

He liked that they played the same instrument.

He liked the intensity that lit up her eyes whenever she looked at him and every single other physical attribute she had, both flawed and unflawed.

“I’m not going,” he informed Patrick flatly, just as they had all been about to leave.

“What?” Patrick asked, thinking he’d heard Pete wrong.

“I’m staying here.”

Joe, Hanna, Andy, and Brendon exchanged confused glances before heading out the door at Patrick’s urging.

“I’m disappointed, Pete,” Patrick shook his head at him, shutting the door behind himself.

He didn’t have time to waste arguing with Pete. Every valuable minute could mean the difference between finding Kira or not.

They’d long given up the false pretense of being a couple, so Pete didn’t care what the others thought of him for his selfish, stubborn decision to stay at the warehouse, although Patrick’s words had stung a bit more than he’d have hoped.

But admitting to caring would be admitting weakness, as she had already done.

And that was the difference between Pete and Kira.