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It honestly just started out as a normal day, but that’s what usually happens with these sorts of things. Everything starts out perfectly fine but then things slowly begin to go downhill.
And that was exactly what happened the day Peter made the worst deal of his life.
Peter was walking back from his afternoon at the beach, refreshed from the ocean and warmed by the sun when he spotted the little plant growing not too far from the pad. It looked like parsley, a herb Peter remembered seeing in a cookbook Micky had gifted him a while back. So, he picked up a few branches and headed straight for the pad, already imagining himself a few recipes with what they had back in the pad.
There was no one in the pad, so Peter could concentrate on cleaning off the plant, ridding it of stubborn dirt and little bits of flowery white buds. As Peter cut through the branches he could feel a surge of excitement over the prospect of cooking.
“What’d you put in it again?” Mike asked as he stared down at the off-putting green color in the bowl. He looked up to see Peter’s proud smile.
“Parsley soup!” Peter eagerly reminded him, seeming hopeful that Mike would like it.
Mike nodded as if understanding before grabbing the spoon and reluctantly taking a sip. He scrunched up his nose at not only the flavor but the stinging it left in his mouth.
“Are there...Spices...In this?” He questioned slowly, raising an eyebrow at Peter as he looked back up at him.
“Well, I added some salt,” Peter admitted with a nod, another smile appearing on his face. Mike took another sip, this time recoiling. The stinging sensation seemed to increase, there was no way he could eat anymore.
“Yeah, uh...I think I’m full, Pete...I’ve gotta go tune my guitar anyway. Thanks for the soup,” Mike said quietly, nearly sighing in relief as he stood up from his chair.
“Oh, alright!” Peter nodded again as he picked up Mike’s bowl. “I’ll just save the rest for later...”
Micky was the first to notice.
“You, uh...You good Mike?” He asked, turning his gaze on Mike who was clutching at his stomach and looking rather pale, honestly seeming like he was about to throw up right there which was something that none of them wanted.
“I’m fine,” Mike mumbled, a hand against his head as if to block out the light. He certainly didn’t look fine like he claimed to be, if anything, he looked ill.
“Then why are you curled in like that?” Davy pushed with a hand on his hip, sounding like he didn’t believe Mike at all. Mike offered a meager shrug but didn’t answer. “Mike, we know you’re lying. What’s up with you?”
“I’m just not feelin’ the greatest, alright? Maybe it’s-” Mike suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence, eyes going wide before he all but sprinted to the bathroom and then slammed the door shut behind him.
They didn’t even need to go after him to know what was going on, Micky and Davy sharing a worried glance as Peter just stared sadly at where Mike had been moments before. He was always sad whenever his friends weren’t feeling well, their hurt made him hurt too. But still, Peter had a feeling Mike would get better soon. He always tried to be optimistic.
Another hour passed and Mike, well...He’d only gotten the opposite of better.
“I’ll...I’ll be fine...Don’t worry ‘bout me, fellas…” Mike whispered, taking a deep breath like it was clearly troubling him to get any air in. He was lying on the couch and the others were surrounding him, all of them concerned as they stared down at their friend.
“You keep saying that, but I still doubt it…” Micky mumbled under his breath as he took a step closer, placing a hand on Mike’s head, who only sluggishly moved his head back. “Ick, you feel all clammy,” Micky’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure we shouldn’t take you to the doctor, man?”
“I’m sure, I just need to rest,” Mike insisted, but groaned as he curled up into a ball in some feeble attempt to try and ease his pain that he felt practically all over. Peter flinched and had to look away, unable to look at Mike any longer. He couldn’t stand seeing Mike in so much pain.
They really should have called a doctor.
Instead, Davy and Micky finally decided to go out and try and find some medicine for Mike, hoping they’d be able to find something that could help him.
"Probably a bad cold," Davy tried to reason. "Or maybe even bad allergies…" He spared a look at Mike, who seemed to look worse every passing minute.
“It could be the flu,” Micky offered as they left the pad and in doing so, left Peter to keep an eye on things, which was exactly what he did.
He felt a bit helpless, just sitting there and doing nothing but watching as Mike struggled to breathe, he hated not being able to do anything. But he still had hope, hope that something would come along and make Mike better and everything would be okay again.
Peter smelled the smoke before he actually saw him.
“Ah, Michael’s having some health troubles, I see...What a shame…”
Peter’s eyes widened at the sound of that all too familiar voice and he turned around, standing up when he saw Mr. Zero himself standing behind him. Instinctively, he took a step back, still carrying some of that fear from the last time they’d dealt with him.
“It’s you...What are you doing here?” Peter asked quietly, trying to hide the fact that he was afraid. That mean old Devil seemed to like it when people were scared of him, so Peter wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.
“Yes, it’s me. And I’m here because I heard about your little predicament, it is my job to know these things after all. I know when people have problems...And I know when they require my assistance.” A smirk made its way onto Zero’s lips and Peter got the feeling he wasn’t just there for a friendly chat.
“I’m not making another deal with you! You tried to take my soul!” Peter argued before Zero could even open his mouth again, he knew what he was going to say and he wasn’t having any of it. Sure, Zero could probably make Mike better, but Mike would probably just get better on his own...Hopefully…
“Why, of course I did, your soul is special after all. It’s not often that your type of innocence comes around, Peter. Maybe we could work out a...Bargain, of sorts, if you know what I mean.”
Peter wanted to scream ‘no!’ He wanted to push him out of the pad and away from Mike, who was oblivious to everything around him, still out cold. But something kept him from doing so, a sinking feeling in his stomach and an ache in his heart. He didn't know what it meant, whatever it was, it was telling him to listen to Mr. Zero.
Maybe it was just the need to help Mike.
“I don't know about this…” Peter said quietly, taking a glance towards Mike for just a moment before looking back at Zero.
“Peter, I am surprised, it’s not like you to be so selfish. Especially when you were the one who did this to Mike in the first place,” Zero said coolly, gesturing down towards Mike as he looked Peter dead in the eyes.
Peter froze.
“I- What? No, I-I didn't do this to Mike! I could never hurt him!” Peter exclaimed, wondering how in the world Zero could ever accuse him of such a thing.
“Oh, yes, you did. That parsley you put in his soup? It wasn't parsley, it was poisonous hemlock. You do know what that is, correct? It has no antidote, and it’s even been known to kill a grown man in a mere few hours. Try telling that to your dear friends, that you were the one to do it, that you were the one to kill poor Michael,” Zero stopped and smiled, but it wasn't a real one. There was some kind of malice behind it. “Ah, I do love nature.”
Peter’s heart sank, he almost couldn't believe it. He’d been the one to hurt Mike? He never meant to, he’d just wanted to do something nice for him...How could he live with himself knowing that Mike died because of some stupid thing he did?
“So, what say you, Peter? Do we have a deal?” Zero inquired with a raise of his eyebrow, snapping his fingers and making a contract appear in his hands.
“I…” Peter trailed off, his gaze falling to the floor. He wanted to help Mike, he really did, but he was still hesitant nonetheless. He was scared, he didn't want to go to Hell.
Mike’s breathing hitched and Peter immediately turned his attention on him, terrified to find that Mike had stopped breathing entirely. There really was only one way to help Mike now.
“Okay, I’ll do it! Just, please, save Mike!” Peter pleaded as he grabbed the contract and a pen from Zero’s hands and quickly signed it on a nearby table.
“Good choice.”
Zero snapped his fingers and the paper disappeared the second Peter finished his signature along with the pen, a gasp from Mike alerting him to the fact that Mike was breathing again. Peter sighed in relief.
“You have one hour, Peter. Then, your soul is mine, none of that fooling around like last time,” Zero said sternly as Peter turned around to look at him yet again, hating that devilish grin on his face. “See you soon.”
And with that, Zero was gone once more.
Mike's breathing had finally evened out, he looked more relaxed now as he slept and Peter felt a wave of relief crash over him.
Mike was safe.
But what about him?
The urge to cry overtook him for a moment. Tears blurred the edges of Peter's vision before he blinked them away. No time for that, he thought as he stood in the silent pad, wishing Davy and Micky were there with him.
After taking a moment to ensure that Mike was still asleep, Peter brought out a few pieces of paper and a pencil, sitting down beside the stand next to the couch and began to scribble away.
Dear Micky,
You’re funny! You’re silly!
And you’re such a good friend!
I love you greatly
I hope you don’t mind
That I don’t get your jokes sometimes.
Peter took another piece of paper.
Dear Davy,
You’re wonderful
I love you a lot
You’re like the morning sun
Or soft moonlight to my world
I’m glad you can put up with me so much
And you deserve so much more.
“...Peter?” A groggy voice snapped him from his thoughts. Peter quickly covered the papers with his arms, though Mike couldn’t exactly see them from where he laid on the couch.
“Mike! Are you feeling any better?” Peter asked softly, putting the pencil down for the moment. Mike’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment, exhaustion obviously still plaguing him.
“Yeah, told y’all I was fine…” Mike said, words almost slurring together. Peter nodded even though Mike’s eyes remained closed.
Peter glanced at a nearby clock. He didn’t have much time.
“You should go back to sleep, Michael.” Peter offered a smile as Mike’s eyes briefly opened again. Peter feared that Mike would try to get up, to ask what he was doing. If he did, Peter wouldn’t have the ability to lie to Mike.
Instead, Mike hummed an agreement, too tired to offer any actual words. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep again. Peter picked up his pencil.
Dear Michael,
I love you more than anything
And I’m sorry for everything
I know that I’m a pain sometimes
That I get into trouble a lot
It’s why I try to love you the most
Because it seems like you need it
Signed, Peter.
The letters were brief, but Peter hoped they were enough.
“Goodbye letters! How sweet!” A sarcastic voice said as smoke blew away.
Peter flinched back at the sudden reappearance of Mr. Zero, picking up the letters and pressing them against his chest as if he expected him to tear them from his grasp and destroy them in a blaze of fire.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything to them,” Mr. Zero rolled his eyes. “Besides, I bet your friends are going to want those.”
Peter placed the letters back on the table, folded neatly on top of each other. He didn't think he’d ever be ready to leave his friends, but he had to hold up his end of the deal.
“Ready?” Mr. Zero asked even if Peter knew well he didn’t have any sort of choice in the matter, there’d be no use in trying to tell him he wasn’t even close to being ready.
“I...I guess so…” Peter muttered, those words barely leaving his lips before Zero grabbed him tightly by the arm. He took one last glance at Mike, hoping that him and the others wouldn’t miss him too much.
Then, in a puff of smoke, Peter was gone.
Micky and Davy were back by the time Mike woke up.
It was like nothing happened, his stomach no longer ached and he didn’t have to focus on breathing. Mike didn’t feel like he was on death’s door anymore.
But as he picked himself up off the couch, he couldn’t help but feel something had gone wrong. He just had no idea what it was though.
He cleared his throat, catching the pair's attention who were both sitting at the kitchen table.
“Mike! You're awake!” Micky cried out as he practically launched himself onto Mike, almost causing him to tumble over.
“Course I am, told y’all it was nothing,” Mike said as he rather awkwardly patted Micky on the back. “Now, where's Peter? He was here the last time I woke up…”
Looks of relief soon gave way to worry, as Micky and Davy shared a look.
“We don’t really know...We came back and he was gone,” Davy began, a piece of paper in his hands as he ran his thumb over a creased corner. “All we found were these letters he wrote to us-”
“What?” Mike asked, concern evident in his voice as he walked closer to the table and grabbed the paper with his name on it, quickly skimming it over. Mike looked at his friends with wide eyes. “Why’d he write these? Did he leave or-”
A pillow of smoke appeared as if to answer his question.
“Evening, gentlemen,” Mr. Zero stood tall in front of them, hands behind him and shoulders squared back and just looking utterly proud of himself. It clicked immediately for Mike.
“Where is Peter?” Mike demanded, storming up to Zero and only stopping once he was right in front of him. Zero didn’t even move; he didn’t even blink at the sudden close proximity of an absolutely livid Mike. In fact, his smile only seemed to grow as he plucked the piece of paper from Mike’s hands, something that only seemed to make Mike angrier.
“Oh, how cute, it’d be such a shame if you lost these. It’s one of the few things you have to remember poor Peter after all,” Zero said with a dark chuckle as Mike grabbed the letter back from him, glaring at the Devil.
“What are you talking about?” Davy piped up from his spot at the table, sounding like he was almost afraid of the answer he was going to get. They already had a feeling about what the answer was going to be, but none of them wanted to say it out loud.
“You didn’t know? Peter made another deal with me and this time I made sure there were no loopholes, I didn’t want you three running around thinking you could just get him back. He’s mine now.”
“Peter isn't just something you can own.” If looks could kill, Zero would have been nothing but a pile of dust. Micky stepped up behind Mike, placing a hand on his back, Davy stood close by as he stared on at the confrontation.
“According to this contract, he is.” With a puff of smoke, a piece of paper appeared. A piece of paper with Peter’s signature on it.
“Why would Peter do another deal with you?” Davy found himself asking before he could stop himself. Mr. Zero cleared his throat, staring directly at Mike.
“To save Michael, of course.”
“Save me? From what?” Mike repeated in disbelief, wondering what Peter had needed to save him from. Sure, he hadn't felt the best (which was definitely an understatement), but he didn't think he needed to be saved from anything.
“From hemlock, nasty little poison that is, fast-acting if you've ingested enough,” Mr. Zero explained with a shrug. “Peter confused it for parsley.”
“Or rather…I managed to trick him into believing it was. Parsley and hemlock do look similar before the flowers bloom,” Zero continued, seeming like this whole thing was amusing to him.
“What do you mean you tricked him?” Mike questioned, narrowing his eyes at Zero. If Peter had just randomly found the plant and mistook it for parsley, that was one thing. But if Zero had something to do with it...Well, Mike definitely wouldn’t be too happy.
“I was the one who planted it there,” Mr. Zero admitted in a tone similar to someone saying they just hung up a picture frame on a wall. “Although, I didn’t make Peter grab it, cook it into a soup and give it to your friend, those were his decisions.”
“That’s not fair, man! You probably knew he was gonna do all that stuff!” Micky protested, earning a scoff from Zero as he rolled his eyes.
“It doesn’t have to be fair, I don’t have to play nice to make a contract. This is Hell we’re talking about, I can do whatever I want.” The contract disappeared into thin air and Mr. Zero adjusted his dress shirt, still smiling coldly at the three.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me...I have a new soul to break.” Mr. Zero laughed, a horrible sound, then vanished in yet another cloud of smoke, leaving Mike and Micky and Davy to let his words sink in.
They almost couldn’t believe it, their friend that they cared about so much was gone, Peter was gone.
And there wasn’t a thing they could do to save him.