Archive of Our Own

Vegas

It had been a normal day by all accounts. Vegas had been doing his usual work, little bit of scheming here, lots of backstabbing there – y’know just business as normal. Naively, he thought that would be the end of it, that he would be able to have a little relaxing time for the rest of the day. Nobody seemed to be in imminent danger, nobody had made a play to kill him in a while… Things seemed quiet. So, he rested.

He was just laying on his bed, reading peacefully, when Pete slammed open the door. Immediately Vegas knew that there was something wrong, there was something urgent in the way that his boyfriend was moving, something erratic and almost unhinged. He looked as if he was unable to rest, his hands shaking as he made his way over to Vegas, his eyes blown wide as he stared at him.

Vegas threw the book away to the side, carelessly. He didn’t mind if it got ruined. He didn’t particularly care if the book was completely destroyed. Pete was the only thing on his mind in that moment.

He was never usually so shaken, so full of rage. Pete was the calmer of the two. When there was something wrong, he would seethe silently, his eyes glinting with something so fierce that it was almost more terrifying than being yelled at. So, since he had bypassed that, there was clearly something desperately wrong.

“What’s wrong?” Vegas questioned, standing up to meet him. “What happened?”

Pete’s voice was shaking slightly as he spoke, but from anger not from fear. The fury in his expression was palpable, fire dancing in his eyes.

“They took him,” he said, digging his nails into his palms. “Macau. They took him on his way back from school.”

And just like that, Vegas’s entire world screeched to a halt.

For as long as he could remember, it had been him and Macau against the world. Vegas had been there for his brother his entire life, protecting him from everything that he could – namely their own father. He stood in the way when he was in trouble, not wanting him to get beaten. He helped him with his schoolwork when he was struggling. He played video games with him since he wasn’t allowed to bring any outsiders from school back to the compound.

They were the best of friends, Vegas loved him more than anything. And the fact that someone had gone and taken one of the most important people in his life… Well, that wouldn’t stand.

He was ready to burn the world to the ground, to dance in the ruins, to throw around the ashes like confetti, if that meant he was able to find his brother. Judging by the way Pete was buzzing with the anger coursing through his veins, he was just about ready to do the exact same thing.

The two of them stormed down to the gardens, where most of the bodyguards had congregated, a low hum from their distressed mumbles the only sound that Vegas could hear as he approached.

“Where the fuck is my brother?” he yelled as he approached, twisting his gun in his hands. “Which one of you incompetent bastards let him get taken?”

Two men were pushed to the front, the terror obvious on their faces as they barely had enough confidence to look him in the eyes.

“Pathetic,” Pete scoffed beside him.

Vegas hummed in agreement, stepping forwards until he was practically breathing on them.

He didn’t want to leave any room for them to try and make a break for it, they didn’t deserve the luxury of being able to run away – since Macau certainly couldn’t. He was probably tied up somewhere in a dingy building, worried for his own life… If he was even conscious enough to be having those worries. Anything could have happened to him.

“How the hell did this happen?” he hissed, watching as they shivered slightly.

When they didn’t answer right away, he aimed a kick at one of their ankles, grinning in satisfaction as he crumbled to the ground, yelping in pain. Vegas was glad that Porsche was up at the major family mansion with Kinn at that moment. There was no way he would have allowed any brutality towards the staff members.

“How?” he screamed.

His yell was followed by the sound of a gun behind him, a bullet clicking into place. But he paid it no mind, knowing it was Pete helping to apply the pressure on the idiots trembling before them.

“We were waiting in the car for him in the usual spot,” the bodyguard on the floor replied, the words coming out suspiciously like a sob. “They snatched him right by the gates before we could do anything to get to him.”

The standing bodyguard looked at him nervously, “We didn’t know what to do… So, we came back here to update you.”

Pete let out a harsh laugh, stepping closer and pressing the gun to his forehead. Judging by the wince, it must have been digging harshly into his skin, but all Vegas could do was scoff at his weakness. Pete could pull the trigger for all he cared.

“You didn’t know what to do?” Pete mimicked back; his eyebrows knitted together. “What on earth do you think your job is? You aren’t a chauffeur; you don’t just sit around in a car. You go out there and you protect Macau.”

“We pay you to be at least slightly competent… But if you can’t do that then why the fuck are you even here?” Vegas spat.

They muttered their apologies, but it wasn’t even slightly comforting. The only thing that would make the situation better was if Macau sauntered through the door and it all turned out to be one big misunderstanding.

“We could help you find him, Khun Vegas.”

He looked down at the man at his feet in disdain.

“Don’t bother. Pete is all I need. Certainly not you two idiots, you’d only screw things up even more.”

Vegas was one thousand percent sure that, had he entrusted Pete with the responsibility of making sure Macau was safe, he would have been able to do it. He would have taken care of his little brother with his life, guarding him from all harm that may come his way – which is what he expected of his stupid goddamn bodyguards in the first place. Porsche needed to have a serious look at the people he was hiring to protect the minor family, since nobody seemed to be able to do their jobs properly anymore.

He took a step back, glowering at the crowd of men that were standing around watching them with bated breath.

“What are you all hanging around for?” he yelled. “I’m sure you have more important things to do than watch this… As do we.” Vegas looked towards Pete, who was still holding his gun at the bodyguard. His hands were steady, but he could tell Pete was fizzing with rage. He reached out, gently laying his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Come on, don’t waste your bullet on him.” he cast a glance towards the guard. “Now get out of my sight before I change my mind.”

He wasted no time in doing so, helping up the guards still crouching on the ground as they both stumbled away. If Vegas hadn’t known better, he would think they were trying out some kind of slapstick comedy routine. They were entirely incompetent.

Now, it shouldn’t be mistaken, Vegas didn’t exactly want to spare the life of the bodyguard. In fact, he would have loved nothing more than to watch the bullet rip through his empty skull. But the fact was, Pete needed to save those bullets for someone else. Plus, they didn’t have time to be hanging around cleaning up the mess, they had to go and find Macau.

“Let’s go figure this thing out,” Vegas said. “We can’t waste any more time.”

***

“Are you sure there’s nobody that you’ve made your enemy recently?” Kinn asked.

Pete had phoned him and Porsche, against Vegas’s wishes he might add. Though he had made the argument that four heads were better than two… It was true but turning to his cousin for help always had been a bit tricky for him.

“No, I bloody well haven’t,” Vegas grumbled.

He raised his middle fingers to the phone, delighting in the small victory he had, knowing Kinn didn’t know what he was doing. Pete snorted at the action, quickly covering it up with a cough so Kinn and Porsche wouldn’t notice.

“I’ve been on my best behaviour,” he continued. “I haven’t murdered anyone I shouldn’t have. Or tortured. Or kidnapped. Nothing.”

“Pete?” Porsche prompted.

“He’s telling the truth.”

Vegas rolled his eyes. Even if he hadn’t been truthful with them, there was no way Pete would have ratted him out, that wasn’t the way they worked. Sure, he was loyal to the major family, but there was no way in hell he’d turn in his own boyfriend. Especially not that easily.

“Yeah, so can we stop this stupid blame game and try and actually figure out where my brother is?” Vegas cried. “He could be anywhere by now, or even dead. Every second we waste is valuable time being practically flushed down the drain. So, are you going to be of any use, or should I just hang up the phone?”

Pete reached out and held his hand, gripping on tight.

Kinn let out a sigh, “Ok, I know this is tough, Vegas, but try and stay calm.”

“How can I stay fucking calm when my brother has been taken, Kinn?” the only thing keeping him from going absolutely ballistic was the soft touch of Pete’s thumb rubbing the back of his hand. “Would you stay calm if it was Tankhun or Kim… Or what if it was Porchay, Porsche? What would you do then?”

“We understand this is hard, Vegas,” Porsche said, cautiously. “And I get it. If it was Chay I’d be tearing down the walls. Do you want us to come down? I’m sure Kinn wouldn’t mind lending out some of his bodyguards, I-”

“Hold on a second,” Vegas said, as his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He fished it out, reading the text as the room fell into silence, nobody daring to speak.

Upon reading the message, Vegas felt the realisation hitting him like a truck, almost sending him tumbling to the floor. And he would have deserved the humiliation of it too, for his own stupidness.

This is for Niran

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner. His panic had been blinding, clouding his head from properly thinking things through. The answer was so obvious, any idiot could have seen it from a mile away.

“I know who’s taken him,” Vegas informed them.  

“Do you need any help?” Kinn asked.

Before Vegas could decline, Pete had already jumped in.

“No. We’ve got this ourselves.”

He promptly hung up the phone before they had time to say anything else, shoving it into his pocket and heading towards the door, barely sparing a glance towards his baffled boyfriend.

“Don’t you want to know who-”

“Explain on the way,” Pete called over his shoulder. “We don’t know how much more time we have.”

At the start of their relationship, Vegas has often been taken aback by Pete’s unwavering loyalty. It had been strange, having someone so dedicated and kind in his life, willing to risk everything to ensure his safety. Sure, he had Macau and his bodyguards, but they were completely different. Macau was just a child, barely able to keep himself alive. And the bodyguards… Well, half were the same as Macau. The rest, they were just obligated to protect Vegas and their loyalty would probably just go to the highest bidder. That’s how they got a few of the main family bodyguards after all.

But Pete was different, he genuinely cared and wanted to be there at Vegas’s side. It had taken him a while to fully accept that he wasn’t going anywhere. That, despite him still being loyal to the major family, he was never going to waver in his faithfulness to Vegas – and he reaffirmed that every single day.

***

Vegas was speeding down the road in his Mercedes, praying that there were no cops around to pull him over, moaning about breaking the speed limit. That was literally the last thing he needed.

His Ducati would definitely have been quicker, stopping them from getting stuck in the midst of traffic, forcing him to angrily blast the horn at every stupid driver unnecessarily braking right in front of him. But it just wasn’t practical for that particular mission. Vegas and Pete comfortably fitted on the bike together, but with Macau it was a bit of a squash, and they just needed an easy getaway. Also, though it was a harsh thought to have, his little brother may have been in such a state that he couldn’t hold himself up. Carrying his weight on the ride home would be unnecessarily strenuous and he would be able to lay down in the car if need be. So, the car was the most logical option.

“Alright,” Pete said, patting himself down to check all of his weapons were in place. “So, tell me who we’re expecting in there.”

“The Ayutthaya family. Or the oldest son at least.”

“Ayutthaya…” he whispered the name back, thoughtfully. “Aren’t they allies to the main family? I think I met them years ago.”

Vegas hummed in response, his eyes glued on the road, knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.

“To the main family, yes. They helped each other out with some business, as far as I’m aware… Not so much of a friend to the minor family. That has a lot to do with us, though… Or rather, me.”

It had been during the days where his jealousy of Kinn had blinded him to everything else in life. Where his only goal had been to get everything that Kinn owned. Everything that he loved or cherished. One of those things happened to be the Ayutthaya family.

They were close, Kinn forming a friendship with the brothers instead of just being allies. They got along well… Perhaps forming a relationship like Kinn and Vegas could have had, had their families not been warring. It was probably something that added to the maddening jealousy that he experienced towards them, so distraught that everyone seemed to have the things that he wanted but would never gain.

He tried to bribe them, tried to get them on their side instead, but to no avail. They stayed put in their loyalty, remaining strong in their allyship with the major family, with Kinn.

“It was an act of anger,” Vegas explained. “Of revenge, somewhat. They had declined me; they didn’t want to be a part of any plans I had to move against the main family. So, I decided that I would send them a message – of sorts.”

“Guessing that doesn’t mean sending a strongly worded letter,” Pete smirked.

Despite the situation, Vegas let out a small laugh.

“Definitely not, no,” he quirked an eyebrow. “But I assumed you would have already remembered what went down. It wasn’t exactly a small thing. You definitely would have heard about it…”

Pete nodded, “What happened was… Well, Kinn was torn up for weeks.” 

Vegas grimaced as he swerved round a cyclist so fast that they both heard them let out a small yelp. But they didn’t have time to feel guilty about that, there wasn’t any injury to them anyway.

“I had no idea it was down to you, though.”

He quirked an eyebrow, “I assumed everyone knew it was me.”

Pete shrugged, “Maybe they did but there was no hard evidence that suggested anyone specifically, so who was I to pin it on you?”

That almost made him smile. Pete and his morals, always knowing that nobody was completely good or bad. It was one of the things he loved most about his boyfriend, the optimism yet the guardedness that stopped him from being naïve. He was so much smarter than so many people gave him credit for. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Pete asked, his tone gentle. He probably noticed how Vegas had begun to restlessly grind his teeth at the shift in conversation.

“I thought that violence was the only way of letting them know their mistake,” he blurted out. “I didn’t set out to seriously hurt anyone; it was just a warning more than anything else. My people did some research, and we planted a bomb in their compound, in a place where – according to their schedules – nobody was supposed to be at that time.”

“But someone was.”

There was nothing accusatory in his tone, he sounded completely understanding and oddly calm.

“Niran,” Vegas confirmed, though they both already knew that. “The younger brother. He wasn’t supposed to be there… But he got caught up in the blast and… He died. I genuinely didn’t mean for it to happen but considering my track record, nobody seemed to believe me – namely his brother. He always said he’d get his revenge and I should have known that meant with Macau, not me.”

Pete squeezed his shoulder lightly.

“Hey, don’t do that to yourself. You did all you could to keep your brother safe. You were there to protect him anytime he was home, and you hired bodyguards to escort him to and from the minor family compound. There’s nothing more you could have done.”

“Then how come he’s still in fucking danger, Pete?”

“Because people want revenge, you can understand that.”

Vegas nodded, letting out a breath. He knew Pete was in no way trying to excuse what they had done; he would never even think about it. He was just as worried, just as angry. But he also knew how reckless Vegas could get, and since he was the one in charge of the little metal box they were hurtling down the road in, it was probably a smart idea to at least try and calm him down.

“Oh, I can understand,” his voice was venomous when he spoke. “In fact, I almost felt guilty for what happened… But after they laid a single finger on my brother? I don’t give a damn. They are gonna pay for this, and I won’t feel sorry at all when he’s reunited with his brother.”

Pete said nothing. He didn’t need to. They both knew that they were thinking the exact same thing.

The streets were going to be painted red by the time they were done in that building and nothing was going to get in their way. Individually, they were both strong, they were people to be feared when they were out on missions. But together they were at the ultimate level of destruction. People weren’t just scared, no, they were outright terrified of merely getting in their way – and rightfully so. Especially on that particular mission, anyone who even thought about standing between them and Macau wouldn’t have the ability to think ever again.

The pulled up on the street next to the compound, taking in the building and the placement of security in silence, both of them going over their weapons once again just to be sure.

“You ready?” Vegas asked, even though he knew the answer. Pete had been ready to run even though he hadn’t known where he was going.

“I’m ready,” he confirmed. “Let’s go teach these idiots a lesson.”

He nodded, “You take out the guards at the front, I’ll scale the wall round the corner and take out any that are hiding round there.”

“Got it.”

Vegas went to get out of the car but stilled when he felt Pete’s hand grab hold of him. He turned his head, looking back at his boyfriend curiously.

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just… Please be careful.”

Those words had been a foreign concept to Vegas before Pete had come along. Pete with his soft face and kind eyes, always making sure to check in before they entered a fight. He had never forgotten, not since they first got together.

The first time, he had been seriously taken aback. Literally nobody had ever said that to him before. His father would certainly never wish him well before a battle. If he had gotten injured or hurt in a fight, he would just assume it meant his son wasn’t strong enough or smart enough in his instincts… And if that was the case, it meant he deserved to get hurt. Moreover, his bodyguards would never wish him well, they were too busy caring about their own lives to be concerned with the task at hand to be worried about words like that. But Pete always made sure he said it and it warmed Vegas’s heart every time the words hit his ears.

He smiled back, “You too.”

And then they were off.

Pete went first, tackling one of the bodyguards before they could even think about what was going on.

Vegas found himself smiling as he snuck past to the other side, sneaking one look at them before he disappeared around the wall. The last thing he saw was Pete kneeling on one of their necks, resting the hilt of his gun in the centre of their forehead, while he used his other hand to punch the other guard.

God, he knew it was such a wrong time to be thinking so, but his boyfriend was so incredibly hot. Even in the height of battle… No, especially in the height of battle. He got this look in his eyes, this passion, this burning fire that made him seem so alive. Vegas would have loved nothing more than to stand around watching Pete take them down singlehandedly, but there were more pressing matters at hand, so he dragged himself away.

He scaled the wall, sitting at the top as he surveyed the scene. For a mob that had just taken a hostage and sent out a warning message, they really had a lapse in security. There was just a single guard lounging against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

It was as if they underestimated him, like they didn’t really believe he would come, or that they could easily take him when he did. Either way, he didn’t like to be underestimated, not in the slightest.

With a scoff, he lazily aimed his gun at the man, shooting him right in the head. He smirked when his body landed on the floor with a soft thud, quickly followed by the cracking of his bones as Vegas used him as a mat for his landing.

Any other time he would have taken great pleasure in dragging out the inevitable. He may have actually made the other guy think he had a chance for a mere moment, a small glimpse at a victory – only to strike him down with his bare hands. But alas, there was no time to be picky about the way things were done, not that time.

This time it wasn’t about enjoyment, it was about necessity.

“Amateurs,” he mused, adjusting his hair as he waited for Pete to catch up to him.

It didn’t take long at all – a couple of seconds, in fact, until he was back at Vegas’s side.

There was a triumphant look on his blood smeared face.

Vegas raised a hand, gently cupping his cheek.

“You ok?”

Pete hummed, “All good, not my blood.” He peered at the body behind them with mild curiosity. “Was that all?”

“Yeah, pretty bad security, right?”

“Almost too bad…”

“You think it’s a trap?”

“Possibly,” Pete shrugged, turning his head back and counting the bullets in his gun, nodding in satisfaction when he was done. He was always methodical about things like that. Vegas was pretty sure he made tallies with each shot he took, a way to keep track of his ammo but also as a way to keep things interesting. “But it can’t work that well if we’re expecting it.”

“Right,” Vegas agreed.

“Besides, we can take whatever they throw at us.”

“Well, that goes without saying,” he replied, flashing a small smile.

They began to creep towards the main building, making sure to keep looking around in case there were any more security guards waiting to pounce on them, which luckily (for them) there were not.

They were merely met with an empty expanse of concrete and an unwelcoming shadow that the building cast on the surrounding area. Vegas couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of foreboding, like there was something they were missing, but he couldn’t afford to be anymore cautious than he already was. His little brother’s life was no doubt hanging in the balance, it was a time where he had to act quickly instead of weighing up his already very limited options of safety.

“I say now is a good time to split up again,” Vegas suggested, as they got nearer to the front doors.

Pete frowned slightly, looking like he disagreed.

“Is that such a smart idea?” he asked.

“I’m just saying, they would expect us to go in together all guns blazing, right?”

Maybe in a time before, he would have done just that, wanting revenge before anything else, his blind fury not allowing him to see anything else. But he had grown considerably since then.

“I mean, that’s probably where all the security is right now, lined up waiting for us to attack. So, why give them what they want? I should go in the front where they can take note of me. If we’re lucky, they might think I’m the only one who came.”

“Does seem like something you would do.”

Vegas rolled his slightly but didn’t argue.

“Anyway, you could go round the back way, hopefully if there are any guards there and they hear I’ve come, then they’ll leave their post to aid their boss.”

Pete considered it for a second, “It’s a little presumptuous… And it might get us both shot.” He sighed, “But I don’t think we have any better options right now, so let’s do it.”

Vegas nodded, tucking his gun into the waistband of his jeans and making sure to conceal it with his shirt.

“I’ll do my best to keep them busy,” he told Pete.

The man levelled him with a look, narrowing his eyes at the way Vegas had hidden the weapon.

“Keep them busy how?”

“I’ll make it seem like I’m surrendering, and they’ll take me to their boss. Seems much easier than having to fight my way through them.”

Though he was fully ready to do so if the need arose.

Pete didn’t seem at all thrilled at the prospect, pinching the bridge of his nose for a second as he muttered under his breath, words that Vegas wasn’t able to decipher.

“Vegas… This whole plan is full of hypotheticals, literally everything could go wrong here. You could instantly get yourself killed; you can’t just presume that they won’t shoot you on sight.”

“Not like I haven’t taken a few bullets before,” he joked, but it didn’t land. “Look… This isn’t about me; this is about Macau. Just please go and find him. Get him out of here.”

Pete scoffed in return, “And leave you here with your half assed suicide plan? I don’t think so.”

“Right now, it’s between me and Macau – which one of us stands a better chance of fighting our way out of here?”

“Vegas-”

“Look, I know this whole plan is insane and we haven’t really thought it through… But we don’t have any time left. We have to act fast – we have to act now, or God knows what will happen. I’ll be fine, just… Just take care of Macau. I trust you with that.”

At this point, Pete was literally the only person that Vegas trusted with his brother, aside from his family members – and even then, he still worried like hell whenever he was in their clutches. He knew that if his boyfriend was on the case, his brother would be ok, he would get out of there unscathed. Or… Not more injured than he possibly already had been.

Vegas could handle himself; he was used to this kind of thing anyway. But even if he wasn’t, even if this whole plan when south and blew up in his face, even if he was shot on sight or tortured to death by his enemy, he would be ok. He would absolutely fine because he would die with the knowledge that Pete and Macau were alright. At least, he hoped.

Pete let out another sigh, taking one last look around before he was fisting his hand in Vegas’s top and dragging him in for a kiss. It was harsh and would probably leave bruises but neither one of them cared in that moment.

Vegas clung onto him until he was being shoved away, taking a few stumbling steps back as he watched Pete run a hand through his hair in agitation, gnawing on his bottom lip. He was filled with worries, though Vegas was well aware it wasn’t for himself, it never was. Pete always accepted the worst-case scenarios of what he would face before he entered any fight. No, he was scared for everyone else. He was scared for Vegas, scared for Macau. Scared for their family. But he masked his face before Vegas could properly see the extent of his emotions.

“For the love of god, don’t die,” Pete warned him. “Or I’ll bloody kill you, Vegas, I swear.”

Vegas stared back at him; he knew his eyes were going soft as they always did when he looked at Pete.

“I love you too.”

Pete said nothing more. He just took a deep breath, giving him a longing look, before running towards the building, going round the outside and disappearing round the back. He knew for a fact that man was going in there with the intention of ripping every single person he came across apart, limb by limb if he had to, in order to get to Macau. Honestly, he couldn’t have loved him more.

But he had to focus.

He let out a breath, walking towards the door with purpose, as he pushed it open with his foot. He promptly raised his hands in a surrender, though a slightly mocking one, as he smirked at the view in front of him.

Just as he had predicted, what looked like most of the security team had been placed in the lobby of the building, pointing their guns towards him – guns that were entirely more sophisticated than the one currently hiding on his person, nestled into the small of his back.

He noted that their fingers were already stroking the trigger of their weapons, as if to warn him they would press it at any moment. But Vegas wasn’t scared of that. The more guns that were pointed at him, the less that were around his little brother. He would take them all if that would save Macau.

“I suppose you’ve been expecting me?” Vegas drawled, still holding his hands up in the air.

He hated being cooperative. He hated looking weak. He hated knowing that those idiots thought they had the upper hand. But he knew he would be an idiot to try and instantly fight his way through without being killed.

It wasn’t like he had the entire fleet of guards with him to take them down. He was on his own, even in his wildest fantasies things wouldn’t turn out the way he would like. So, he had to play ball, swallow his pride, and hope that everything would happen as it should.

The guards exchanged slightly wary looks as Vegas stood in front of them, seemingly unbothered by the display of guns that were brandished in his face. Not that they should have been too surprised, the man had practically been playing with them since he was a toddler, they weren’t anything new to him.

“Is this some new VIP escort service that I’ve been signed up for?” he mused, as a bodyguard stepped behind him. “How sweet.”

“Shut up,” the guy snapped, pressing the gun between Vegas’s shoulder blades, knocking his spine and causing a dull pain to spread through the top half of his back.

Vegas didn’t satisfy him with a reaction though, only letting out a slight laugh.

“Not the premium package, then? I’m afraid I’ll have to speak with your manager. This just won’t do. Here I was expecting a red carpet and all I get is your grumpy ass faces… What a disappointment.”

He knew he was probably overdoing it with the sarcasm and that Pete would be shaking his head with an equal mix of fondness and exasperation if he had been in the room, but he just couldn’t help himself.

The man let out a long-suffering sigh, “What did I just say? Shut your mouth, or-”

“Or what?” he retorted, rolling his eyes. “You won’t actually shoot me.”

“Won’t I?”

“Nope.”

“And how can you be so sure of that?”

There was laughter in his tone, and he was clearly meeting the eyes of his fellow guards over Vegas’s shoulder. He hated being made a fool of, he had a mind to swing round and punch him in the face, to knock him to the ground and kick him in the stomach until he was wheezing out his apologies. He would make sure to bury his foot right in his ribs, breaking him apart with each blow, like the most interesting piñata he had ever had the pleasure of opening.

He would get down on the ground with him, rip out his fingernails one by one – slowly, excoriatingly – until he was begging for mercy. But it wouldn’t stop there. Vegas would tear him apart limb by limb with his bare hands, scoop his eyes from his sockets and squish them like grapes, bash each one of his teeth in and jam them down his throat until the rattling and wheezing from his poor attempts at conjuring breaths finally ceased. He would then stomp on him, using his pathetic excuse of a corpse as a trampoline until they were all surrounded in the red river of his blood because, even in death, he didn’t deserve a moment of peace.

Though Vegas knew he would never get far enough, those spineless guards would shoot him before he could so much as graze his knuckles along his cheek.

“You just won’t.”

Vegas knew they wouldn’t shoot him, since he hadn’t done anything wrong. He was being passive, not violent in the slightest… If you didn’t count his razor-sharp tongue, that is. But they wouldn’t be able to kill him without credible cause, their boss would no doubt have their heads for that. He had called Vegas there for a reason, and he doubted that included having him shot before they had even seen one another.

“Take me to your boss,” Vegas spat. He was done playing games. “Now.”

***

Pete

The two of them had gone into the task with fury pumping through their veins, the adrenaline carrying them through, making them feel on top of the world – like they could accomplish literally anything. That could be a plus a lot of the time, it helped give them energy, to fight with more stamina to pack more of a punch as their fists collided with sorry excuses for human beings… Yet, in that moment, Pete knew they had made an error in judgement.

They had been so blinded by their panic, by their fear of losing Macau forever, that they had gone at everything alone and that was a mistake. They had turned down Porsche and Kinn, not taken any of their bodyguards (though considering that was their mess up in the first place, it probably wasn’t such a loss) and stormed into the Ayutthaya’s property alone. Meaning they had to face off God knows how many guards alone, take on the head of the family alone, rescue Macau alone.

Of course, Pete wasn’t scared. Not exactly. He was more than ready to go into the building and shoot each and every person down until he found Macau, the boy he felt was an honorary brother and a person he loved dearly. Pete wasn’t scared, he had gone in many missions like it before… He was more mad at himself for the judgement call he had made, because in those missions he had a group of people supporting him and stopping him from making stupid snap decisions.

He knew not getting backup put them all at risk, especially Vegas, who had somehow convinced him to follow along with his stupid plan. If anything happened to him, Pete didn’t think he would ever forgive himself. He had just let his boyfriend walk into a room full of security, without a gun in his hand – it was like sending a pig for slaughter. They may as well have just taped a sign to his head instructing to kill him on the spot, it probably would have been simpler.

Pete knew Vegas was more than capable – he was one of the most ruthless people he knew. In all the years he had known him, Vegas’s fighting skills and his lack of fear had been one of the things he had admired most about him. From the outside, Vegas had seemed untouchable, invincible almost, taking down his enemies with merely more than a single look. But that didn’t stop the nagging worry eating at his brain, it never really did. Despite knowing the line of work they were in, and the inevitability of danger, Pete never stopped worrying.

What if he got Macau out of there and Vegas never followed them? What if he saved the youngest brother but left the love of his life in there to be ripped to shreds, outnumbered by the sheer power of those he was faced with?

Pete could never let that happen.

Vegas would no doubt feel a sense of annoyance when he found out what Pete was doing, but he felt there was no other choice. And given the circumstances, it was probably better to go down this turn of events than to have the worst possible outcome become a reality.

He looked around as he stood outside, making sure nobody had snuck up on him as he fumbled with his phone. It only took two rings before it was picked up.

He didn’t even wait for them to say anything.

“I need your help.”

***

Vegas

“Well, well… If it isn’t Vegas Theerapanyakul. I suppose you received my message?”

Vegas pasted a phony smile onto his face, staring back at the man standing in front of him. He had a rat like face and gold wisps at the end of his dark curls, looking exactly as he did the last time, they had seen one another. Some people changed with the trends of time, but it seemed he was all too ok to be stuck firmly in the past.

They were in his office, a lavish sort of place, decked out with books and velvet furniture, decorative throws draped over lamps, plunging the room into an array of multicoloured light – it was all much too gaudy for Vegas’s taste. He liked things on the expensive side, sure, but at least he knew how to decorate.

“Hello, Tanawat. How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m doing quite well thank you? And how about yourself?” draping himself over his desk in an almost theatrical display. “Murdered any more innocent people lately?”

Vegas guessed they were done with the pleasantries already. Though how pleasant could the conversation have been to begin with, if he still had guns pointed at him? There was still one pressed harshly into his back, with Tanawat holding his own pistol aloft, idly pointing it at Vegas as he smirked. It was like he was enjoying the power he had over him, like he had been waiting all his life to be in that specific moment.

“Oddly, no, I haven’t. The people I murdered definitely deserved it.”

Tanawat gave a harsh laugh, it hit Vegas’s ear in an unpleasant manner.

“Same old Vegas…” he sighed, shaking his head as he placed his gun down, reaching over to the other side of his desk and pouring out a drink. Everything seemed to move so slowly, like none of them were in a time sensitive situation, like there were no lives on the line, like Vegas had been summoned there as a drinking buddy instead of to retrieve his kidnapped brother.

He hated him. Vegas threw that term around a lot; Pete would often tell him. If the chef added too much spice in his food? He hated them. If he ordered something online and it came a day late? That company was feeling the full force of his hate through the internet. But this time, he fully meant it. There was something different about the way he hated Tanawat, it was something deep and twisted that corroded in his heart, no doubt turning it black with the truly sickening emotions he was feelings towards the cretin sitting before him.

Vegas hated the way he was so casual about everything, like nothing was out of the ordinary. If he could, Vegas would have leapt over to that god forsaken desk and wiped that smile clean off his face, then he would be the one laughing.

Tanawat nodded to the dark liquid floating in his glass, probably whiskey. Vegas had never cared for it.

“Would you like one?” it was said as an afterthought, accompanied by his glittering eyes.

He quirked an eyebrow, “As if I would drink anything you gave me, it’s probably laced with poison.”

“You think I would really poison you? God no, there are far better ways to get rid of you than that, far more satisfying ways…” Vegas was thinking the same thing about him, funnily enough. “Plus, you already saw me drinking from the same decanter. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you? Maybe that’s why you were never chosen by your good old dad, right?”

Vegas bristled at the comment about his father but decided not to rise to it. Instead, humming quietly.

“Well, you’d be fine drinking it.”

“And why is that?”

“Snakes can’t die from their own venom.”

Tanawat rolled his eyes at the insult, taking a leisurely sip of his drink. It was as if he had all the time in the world, like he didn’t have a kid tied up somewhere in the building against his will.

Vegas could only hope that Pete had managed to get them both out of there already. He couldn’t bear the thought of Macau being trapped by such an idiot like Tanawat, the poor boy would go insane – Vegas certainly was.

“How original.” Tanawat levelled him with a look. “But I think the only snake here is you.”

Vegas narrowed his eyes, “If you’re trying to hurt me, it’s not going to work.”

“Oh, but I think I already have… Otherwise, why would you be here at all?”

“Maybe I’m just here for a chat with an old friend.”

The man snorted at that, glaring at Vegas with something fierce.

“Define, friend. Because correct me if I’m wrong… Friends don’t go around killing their friend’s brothers.” Tanawat took another swig of his whiskey. “So, I guess we must not be very close.”

Whether he was only referring to what had happened to Niran, or also to Macau, Vegas was unsure. But he did know he wasn’t just going to let that comment lie, not with the clear connotations it had for his brother.

People could threaten Vegas all they wanted to – he welcomed it, in fact. Just let them try. But lay one single finger on his brother, merely look at him the wrong way, and forgiveness would never be earnt. Vegas would hunt them down and shred them single handed. He was one of the most important people in his life, there was no way he could rest until he knew he was safe from all harm.

Vegas clenched his jaw, “Alright, I’ll take the bait,” he hissed. “Where’s Macau? That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? To come and get him. So, where is he?”

He was almost shaking with barely controlled rage, fighting the urge to spit right in Tanawat’s face as he just smiled right back.

The way he was acting so nonchalant about the whole situation was completely infuriating, he hated having things taken out of his control, especially by idiots who barely knew what they were doing. He knew for a fact, if those guards weren’t there, Vegas would be able to crush him in seconds, make him regret ever looking in Macau’s direction, let alone orchestrating this entire operation.

Adding fuel to the flames, Tanawat tutted, shaking his head.

“Nuh uh, not so fast.”

“What?” Vegas snapped, ready to pounce at him. He would have done so if the goddamn bodyguard hadn’t pressed the gun further into his back, there would no doubt be a welt left there by the time he finally took it away.

“We’re here to have a little fun first, right?” the man smiled, though it quickly dropped, leaving something dark and sinister in its midst. He tossed his empty glass on the opposite wall, showering the room in an unorthodox confetti. “So… Kneel.”

Vegas scowled, “Come again?”

Nobody spoke to him that way. Nobody would ever be given the right to demean him in such a way, make him feel like a lesser human being like a slave, like something you could peel from the bottom of your shoe. He had never despised someone more than he did towards Tanawat in that moment, he truly wished he were a snake so he could spit venom in his stupidly ugly, contorted face and watch in glee as he burned away into a nothingness before him.

“You heard me. Kneel.”

He motioned to his staff, who pressed his heavy hands-on Vegas’s shoulder, forcing him down. Of course, under normal circumstances, he would have been able to resist, turn the tables and be the one standing victorious. But he was still extremely outnumbered, there was Tanawat with his gun, as well as three guards in the room and more on the other side of the door. While he still had his own pistol tucked into his jeans, he knew it was no contest, and he could hear Pete’s voice in his head telling him not to do any unnecessarily dumb things. So, he complied – though begrudgingly, glaring up at Tanawat as he rested his knees uncomfortably on the tiled floor.

“Oh yes,” Tanawat mused, barely more than a whisper. He came to stand right in front of Vegas, placing his bony little fingers underneath his chin, forcing Vegas to look up at him. Eyes that minutes before had sparkled with mischief along had turned dark and soulless. “This is where the fun really begins.”

***

Macau

Macau wasn’t entirely sure what had happened…

One moment he had been walking out of the school gates, putting on his headphones so he could listen to music on the car ride back to the compound. The next there were hands forcefully grabbing him, lifting him off the ground. For a split second, he entertained the idea that it was his own bodyguards, that they had seen a threat and wanted to get him out of there as soon as possible. But it became very apparent moments after that that wasn’t what was happening at all.

The mystery people – well what else was he supposed to call them? He didn’t know their names – bundled him into an unmarked vehicle with blacked out windows, shoving a bag over his head so he was completely disorientated and couldn’t keep track of his surroundings.

Part of him wished he had fought back instead of just letting it all happen. God knows he had the training for it, Vegas had made sure of that.

Since he was young, he had been learning to fight. His Dad had encouraged it of course, but it was Vegas that did most of it since their father was often too busy to really give Macau a second thought. Vegas was the one that taught him everything, taking time out of his day to give him sparring lessons, taking him step by step through moves and showing him how to get the most power out of his hits.

Macau had enjoyed those days a lot, just being with his brother and having fun fighting with one another. It sounded a little odd, but it was just nice to hang out with him, he was the one person that really cared and the fact that he did it all just to ensure his safety warmed Macau’s heart.

When Pete came along, he too helped with the training. Since he was a trained bodyguard, one of the most elite in the trade, he showed him techniques that Vegas was unfamiliar with – like swimming with his clothes on and the like. He had almost drowned a couple times, but Pete never let him flounder for too long before coming to his rescue.

He also had his own motto. Protect the neck, he always said. Macau was pretty sure he had been chanting it in his sleep from how many times Pete had told him that sentence, bringing his fists up to show him how it should be done.

Despite all of that, all of the training, all of the time they had put in, all of the hours Macau had spent trying to better his skills, he had still frozen when it was time to utilise them. He had turned into a complete failure, and he knew he had let his brother down, and Pete. Macau was sat there in a dingy room, handcuffed to a chair, and waiting for one of those guards outside to come inside and just shoot him in the head, yet he was more concerned about disappointing everyone for the predicament he had been put in.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty. He knew that it was his fault. If he had just kicked, punched, flailed even, maybe they would have lost their grip and he could have got away. Maybe he could have run to his guards. Maybe he could have been with Pete on the couch, watching bad movies while Vegas made them all dinner. But no, he was left all alone, with strangers, people who he didn’t know, or understand what they even wanted.

It had been… Well, Macau didn’t really know, if he had to guess, it had been hours sat in that room – maybe days. But no, it couldn’t have been days, he would have been way hungrier if that were the case (God, even thinking about food was making him crave Pete’s Grandma’s curry. He had brought the two over on a visit a couple of times and she had fed them a curry that made all other curries taste like carboard in comparison). So, it must have been hours. The point was, after a couple of hours stuck there with only his thoughts to listen to, he started to hear a series of bangs. A mixture of bullets as well as punches being thrown and the clear sound of men exclaiming.

The hope that ran through his body was instantaneous. For a moment, he had been scared that nobody had known he was missing, that nobody would be coming to rescue him. But as soon as he heard those sounds, he knew it was someone coming to his aid, which one of his brothers it was, Macau couldn’t be sure, they both had a merciless fighting style, shooting and punching literally anyone that came into their reach, so it was impossible to identify who it was based purely on sound alone. Even so, he allowed himself to relax a little, even smiling slightly as the sounds got closer and closer, eventually cutting out entirely and being followed up by feet pounding against the floor, the person clearly in an all-out sprint to get to him.

There was a brief moment of silence as the person was probably looking at the lock on the door, though a few seconds later it was promptly shot off, falling to the floor with a loud jangle that Macau didn’t even care about. He was too focussed on the man flinging open the door, racing over to him with relief written all over his face.

“Macau, oh my god, are you ok?” Pete gasped, racing over, and crouching down beside him, inspecting the cuffs interlinking his wrists.

“I’m alright…” he replied, staring at Pete in awe. His face and hands were streaked with blood and his hair was slightly matted with sweat, yet he was still totally focussed on Macau instead of himself. “Sorry I put you in this position.”

The man looked back up at him in confusion.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Well, I barely fought back, I just let them take me. So, you had to come over here and put yourself at risk to get me…”

“Hey…” Pete reached up and ruffled his hair, smiling softly. “Me and your brother would literally do anything for you, you know that right? And don’t even think about blaming yourself for this. None of it is your fault, it’s those bastards that decided to hurt you that we’re mad at. Speaking of which, are you sure you’re alright? Did they do anything? Harm you in any way?”

Macau shook his head, “Nothing out of the ordinary, I assume the harm was coming later on.”

“Yeah,” Pete scoffed. “Like we would let that happen.”

He fiddled with the belt around his waist, yanking it off as quick as he could and using it to unlock the handcuffs that were digging into his skin.

“How did you get to me anyway?” Macau asked as Pete was working on them. “Weren’t there a load of guards standing by? Surely that would be difficult on your own.”

“Difficult,” he agreed. “But not impossible. Anyway, there were only a few standing by near here, I assume guarding you, though they weren’t doing a very good job. Most of them are round the front of the building by the entrance,” Pete tutted impatiently. “Honestly the security setup in this place is awful, I’d give them some pointers but… It did make it easier to break in so, maybe I should thank them instead. Ah ha!”

He made the triumphant sound as the belt finally clicked into place, sending the metal rings springing apart and finally freeing Macau’s hands. He held them in front of him, wringing them uncomfortably.

“Thanks, Pete.”

The man only smiled, giving him a look like it was obvious. Which he supposed it was. Macau even felt a little stupid for ever thinking neither of them would be coming to get him, Vegas and Pete were two of the utmost protective people he knew. If he didn’t know them so well, he’d probably be as terrified of them as most other people were.

“Come on,” Pete said, as he walked towards the door. “Let’s get you out of here. I shot down the guards around here, but I assume I’ve have been caught on surveillance by now, we’d better leave before they send some more reinforcements.”

Macau nodded, racing after him as they made their way down what seemed like endless hallways.

As promised, there was nobody around as they advanced (well, apart from the dead bodies littering the ground but they weren’t really hindering their mission much). However, when they got outside, Pete began to still, completely slowly down as he anxiously looked back to the building.

“What’s wrong?” Macau asked, looking around for any people charging at them or pointing their guns.

“Nothing, just… You go ahead, get to the car,” he motioned to the black vehicle he could see in the distance, parked right outside the gates.

“And what about you? Where are you going, Pete?”

“I have to go back inside.”

Macau looked at him in alarm, “What, why?”

Pete sighed, “To go and get your goddamn brother. I know he can handle himself, but I can’t just leave him in there alone, especially not with that half assed plan that likely will fail without backup.”

The younger boy continued to look on in confusion, alternating between staring at the car and Pete.

“Hold on… So, Vegas isn’t the one driving the car?”

Pete choked out a laugh, “When have you ever known your brother to stay in the car?” he shook his head, sighing as he looked at the bullets left in his gun. “It’s Porsche, I called him to come and help.”

“Vegas is gonna love that,” Macau snorted.

He knew how much his brother hated to rely on other people. Their dad messed him up big time, made him believe that he was no good at something if he couldn’t do it by himself.

“Yeah, well, it was my call. And I think Vegas will be fine when he knows you’re safe, he can mend his ego later if it bothers him that much.” He suddenly looked at Macau sternly – though he knew there was care in his eyes. “Now, go and stay with Porsche. He’s going to take you back to the major family house – do not under any circumstances try and leave the premises, do you hear me?”

“What if it’s on fire?”

Pete looked at him for a moment, probably wondering what he should say.

“You are such like your brother,” he eventually settled on, the corner of his lip turning up into smile. “Just go, you pest.”

Macau smiled back, obeying the instructions, and sprinting off towards the car, jumping in the backseat. Only once he was there did he spare a look back towards Pete, almost pressing his face against the glass so he could see him – though he knew Pete wouldn’t be able to tell because of the blacked-out glass.

He noticed that Pete had stood there, waiting to know he had got to Porsche safely before he turned on his heel and headed straight back into the building with no hesitation.

Sometimes he thought it must be a little scary, to love someone as much as Pete and Vegas loved one another. The way they would risk their lives without a second thought just to ensure the other’s safety.

“They’ll be alright, they always are,” he heard Porsche reassure him as he started up the engine.

“Yeah,” Macau agreed.

But he knew the pit of worry in his stomach wouldn’t go away until they were both there beside him.

***

Pete

Walking back through the halls of the building, Pete felt a small sense of relief. With Macau being left safely with his best friend, out of harm’s way, he like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew that nothing bad could happen to him when he was in Porsche’s care, Pete could just focus on getting Vegas and making sure all three of them got the hell out of there unscathed.

Maybe that was easier said than done considering he wasn’t even sure where Vegas was.

He had been wandering around for so long he felt a dull ache in his feet, and he had had to utilise his weapon so many times on passing guards on the hunt for him, that he’d run out of bullets. That part was a simple enough fix, he just took one of the guns off the lifeless corpse of the bodyguard laying at his feet… Well, it wasn’t like they were going to be needing it again anytime soon, he may as well use it to his advantage.

The gun was stronger and more powerful, but he had to admit he missed the comfort of holding his own pistol in his hand, it gave him a sense of comfort in a way, of familiarity. But he pushed past the feeling, that wasn’t what was important, Vegas was.

Eventually, after he had taken out probably the entire fleet of staff hunting him down (that family really should invest in some better security, they were a joke) he heard the sound of raised voices at the end of a corridor, ones that sounded very familiar.

“You know, we didn’t even kidnap Macau.”

Pete recognised Tanawat Ayutthaya’s voice through the door, the soft lilt he had to his tone, like he was just having a casual conversation instead of trying to get a rise out of Vegas.

“That’s a lie,” Vegas snapped in response.

“No really, we just approached him after school, asked if he wanted to get away from you… Unsurprisingly, he agreed immediately. Who can blame him really? Anyone who’s close to you is in the danger zone, right? Macau was just waiting for that opportunity to escape, and I gave it to him.”

He had to admit, it was a clever plan. Vegas didn’t respond the way most people did to things. He was cool and calm most of the time. If you hit him, he wouldn’t flinch. If you belittled him, he would just find it funny. If you tried to interrogate him, he wouldn’t say a word. But bring his brother into it? That struck a nerve. It always did.

Vegas was always insecure about his little brother, always so worried that he would mess up and become just like his father was. He was scared every day that he would manage to screw Macau up, make him into the type of man that his father had always dreamt of: a callous and hollow shell of a human that only cared about hurting others. He wanted better for his brother – and he was an amazing role model for him, anyone could see that. But the influence of his father had always made him so unsure, it was impossible for him to understand that for himself. Therefore, making it so easy for others to convince him how bad of a job he was doing.

“Shut up.”

Even when he wasn’t with Vegas, Pete could tell how agitated he was becoming. That conversation must have been going a long time for him to have gotten to that point. Even when Macau was concerned, Vegas normally had a lot of willpower before he broke.

“He hates you, Vegas. He hates you so much.”

“I said, shut up.”

“He knows the type of person you are. How bitter and evil and twisted-”

“That’s enough,” Pete ordered, bursting through the door. He couldn’t handle a second more of it, hearing Tanawat of all people belittling Vegas like he was nothing. Especially when every single word that came out of his mouth was a bare faced lie. He would never be able to just stand idly by as he spouted nonsense, hurting the man Pete loved.

The guards turned towards him in surprise, but Pete gunned them down before they could even think about shooting him, sending them flailing down to the ground like a human domino game. It was very satisfying to watch, he couldn’t lie, and he added three more men to the mental tally he was taking of each person he had shot that day.

Watching this unfold, Vegas took a moment before he came to. He was probably just confused for a moment, maybe concerned about why Pete was there in front of him instead of helping his brother, but he quickly got over it. He lunged forwards and plucking the gun off Tanawat’s desk, before fishing his own from his jeans and pointing them both at him.

Oddly, Tanawat seemed completely unbothered, just wiping his bodyguard’s blood from his nose, and smiling at Pete.

“Ah, Pete! It’s been a while!”

The former bodyguard stood firm, keeping his gun aloft and remaining silent. From what he had seen from the man, he was glad it had been a long time since they had last crossed paths.

“I would say it’s nice to see you again… But I heard you’re a traitor now.”

Pete rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. If he had a baht for every time someone said that to him, he wouldn’t have to work another day in his life. He’d be rolling in it.

“Not everything is so black and white.”

“Well, what would you call dating a murderous psychopath?”

“At least he isn’t a child kidnapper. I’d argue there are worse people to deal with.”

He shrugged, leaning on his desk, “Like I said to your boyfriend here – Macau came willingly. In fact, he’s somewhere around here now, enjoying his freedom. Poor boy couldn’t wait to get away from you.”

Pete couldn’t help but laugh at that and he saw the smile that crept onto Vegas’s face too, once he realised that meant Macau was safe and well. Though he had probably assumed that was the case when Pete had first appeared. They both knew there was no way Pete would have willingly left Macau on his own unless he was one hundred percent out of danger.

“You are such an idiot,” Pete cackled. “Do you honestly think I would be standing here talking to you if I hadn’t got Macau out of this hell hole? Funny how freedom here means being handcuffed to a chair.”

Something flickered in Tanawat’s eyes, but he said nothing.

“Why the hell did you think I wasn’t here in the first place? Vegas was just keeping you busy while I got Macau, otherwise we would have been raining a shit storm across your entire operation much sooner…” he quickly spared a look around the room. “Speaking of which… You might want to invest in some more security – I don’t think anyone here will be much help to you again.”

Vegas looked sideways at him; he was clearly impressed.

“All of them?” he asked, grinning.

“All of them.”

His boyfriend looked back at Tanawat, smirking, “Hey, do you think we could have your CCTV footage from today? I’d love to see how Pete singlehandedly took down every one of your men.”

Tanawat shrugged in return, still looking completely nonchalant. Anyone would think he didn’t have three guns pointed at him – with people who would definitely use them.

“You’re bluffing. You just want to try and frighten me. Just you watch, someone will be coming through these doors any second now and shoot you down where you stand.”

Pete ordinarily would have pitied him. He knew all of this was because of what had happened to his brother, and it was tragic – it truly was. Niran should still be alive; it was an awful thing that had gone down and Vegas no doubt wouldn’t have done what he did if he knew what would have happened. Tanawat was eaten up by the grief and Pete felt for him, but that was nothing compared to the absolute rage that still flowed through his body for what he had done to his own family. And there was no way he would forgive him for what he had done.

He had taken Macau and he had tried to hurt Vegas. As far as Pete was concerned, there was nothing Tanawat could do from that moment onwards that could stop him. His revenge was already set in motion, and he would feel no ounce of guilt for what was to come, no matter what his motives were going into it.

Pete pouted at him, feigning pity, “You really think someone is coming to help you? How sweet. But I’m not lying… There’s nobody left. Really, this is on you.”

“Whatever,” he scoffed, staring between the two men. “It’s not like you’re going to do anything to me. You might feel alright shooting people that are a threat to you, but clearly, I’m the victim here. I have no weapons. And there is no way you would let Vegas kill me, a man that poses no danger.”

Vegas laughed at that, shaking his head.

“You utter fool,” he spat at Tanawat. “You think Pete is going to save you now? You have absolutely no idea what you’ve got yourself into…”

Despite Vegas’s warnings, Tanawat was not deterred in the slightest, looking at Pete with a relaxed expression. It almost looked like he was full of confidence, like he had fully convinced himself that he could walk out of that room with no trouble at all and be met with the faces of his staff. Well, neither of those things were going to be happening.

“Oh, come on,” the man scoffed, fully standing up as he gestured towards Pete. “There is no way that he is going to hurt me. What, you think that Pete, the guy that just walks around all full of smiles and sunshine is going to inflict any kind of pain onto me? Yeah right. This little tough guy act isn’t going to work, I know the type of person you are Pete… Every time I would see you with Kinn you’d be standing there completely silent, just waiting to be told what to do.” Tanawat rolled his eyes, letting out a laugh. “You’re truly pathetic, did you know that? You’re just a little lapdog, a timid little creature that somehow ended up in this messed up world… So, how about you do us all a favour right now and run along home? Because I’m not scared of you, Pete. Save us all the time and embarrassment and clear off.”

Both Vegas and Pete had stayed quiet during his little speech, both surveying him with curious expressions, wondering where on earth he got the balls to be so convinced he had the upper hand. He was literally being held at gunpoint, no support at all, and he was still smiling and talking like he was the winner of the day.

Pete wasn’t sure if he should admire him for his sheer confidence or pity him for his complete lack of awareness. Vegas went for option number three, complete confusion. He kept looking back and forth between Tanawat and his boyfriend, his eyebrows knit together on his forehead.

Pete didn’t even need to hear Vegas say the words out loud, he could tell just by his expression that he was thinking “is this guy actually for real?” and unfortunately, it seemed like he was. All Pete could do was shrug in return, waiting in silence for Tanawat to finish his spiel – though it seemed never ending. And, well… Pete was running out of patience.

“You think I won’t hurt you?” Pete’s voice was calm and steady as he spoke. He brought the gun up, using the hilt to scratch the side of his head as he stared right at Tanawat, whose eyes widened in surprise. “You think just because you don’t have any weapons… I’m gonna lay off you? That I’m going to have mercy?”

His mouth gaped open, giving him a gormless expression.

“I… I don’t…”

“I, I, I,” Pete mimicked, pointing the gun back in his direction. “Used all your words up in one go did you? Got nothing else to say?”

“I don’t think you’ll actually do anything,” Tanawat finished. “I think you’re all talk. So why don’t you let me go and we can all save some time here, huh?”

Vegas sucked in a breath, like he knew exactly what was coming. Which he did.

Pete knew Vegas was fully aware of the exact look he got when he was about to do some damage. Now, ordinarily Vegas would have been attacking the guy with as much force as he could throw at him, but he was holding back in that moment, surveying the scene, watching with curiosity as Pete slowly got closer and closer to giving Tanawat exactly what he deserved. He was letting Pete take the floor, practically begging him to do it. And who was Pete to deny him that?

“All talk?” Pete parroted, nodding slowly. “Right… Right…”

He turned to Vegas, offering out the gun in his hand – the one he had taken from the dead bodyguard around three stairways back. He took it without hesitation, pocketing one of the pistols so he had room to hold it.

Pete crouched down onto the floor, where he noticed there were shards of glass scattered everywhere. He wasn’t sure what it was from or how it got there – Vegas didn’t have any cuts though, so the logistics didn’t matter to him much. What mattered was how he could utilise it.

He picked up a particularly large fragment with his bare hands. The sharp edges nicked his fingers slightly, but he paid it no mind, standing back up and walking towards Tanawat with purpose.

It was clear that he was trying to plan an escape route, trying desperately to think of something that would get him away from the glass wielding man advancing towards him. But with Vegas brandishing two guns in his direction and no bodyguards to support him beyond the door, there weren’t many viable options. By the time he seemed to want to place his bets making a break for the hallway, Pete was already there.

Grabbing a fistful of his shirt with one hand, he threw Tanawat up against the nearest wall, using his arm as a weight on his chest, keeping him pinned there. With the other, he pressed the jagged edge of the glass to his neck, digging it so far that he elicited a deep groan of discomfort from his throat.

And finally, Pete could see his expression change. The façade dropped as Tanawat’s mask fell to the ground at their feet, shattering into a thousand pieces. The confidence he alluded crumbled in mere seconds as Pete easily rested against him, quite content in the fear he was dragging from the man.

“Let’s just get one thing straight here, hmm?” Pete whispered, eyes burning at he glared at the quivering mess of a man in front of him. “You kidnapped a little boy off the street and kept him tied up in your home. Then you have the audacity to make us seem like the bad guys?”

“I-”

He dug the makeshift knife further into his throat.

“I’m. Not. Done.” Pete glared at him. “You kidnapped Macau, there’s no two ways about it. You kidnapped an innocent little boy, lured us here, and tried to manipulate Vegas into thinking it was all his fault… For what? What are you gaining from that you sick bastard?”

He stomped on his foot for good measure, making Tanawat jolt in pain and drive the jagged edge of the glass along his skin once again.

Pete smirked as he saw the faint line of blood trickling down his neck, laughing as Tanawat let out a yell, screaming in pain. It only added to Pete’s amusement at the situation, how pitiful he was being. A sheer contrast to the overconfident persona he had been trying to portray moments before.

He found it interesting how easy it was to break people down to nothing.

***

Vegas

It was an inappropriate time to be thinking so – probably the most inappropriate time the thought could have entered his mind, but he couldn’t help it.

Vegas just thought his boyfriend was so incredibly hot.

The way he grinned at the way the blood ran from Tanawat’s neck. The way he slapped him round the face the second he even thought of saying a single word without permission. The way he looked so utterly fascinated at the way the idiot underneath his hands was practically buckling at his every will, surrendering to his demands in the hopes that he would come out relatively unscathed… Though Vegas knew that was entirely impossible and completely out of the question.

Vegas could recognise the look on Pete’s face. He saw the way he was filled with sheer rage, the way his eyes were filled with zero hint of remorse or caution – his morals and his conscience thrown away momentarily while he focussed all of his energy on the man that caused so much upset in their family. Vegas had seen the way that Pete had been with the bodyguard earlier at the compound. The way he was fully ready to shoot him in the head purely for his lack of awareness in his job – which, compared to what Tanawat had done – was practically nothing. So, there was no chance in hell that anything could get in the way of Pete’s mission at that moment, there was nothing that would stop him from enacting his revenge on the man that had hurt Macau.

Because Pete thought of him as a brother too. Though they hadn’t known each other properly, in the grand scheme of things, they had grown close since living under the same roof and both boys were entirely fond of one another. Vegas couldn’t be more happy that Pete loved his brother just as much as he did, and he adored his boyfriend for being just as concerned over the situation. He never thought that he would meet someone that held Macau’s safety in such high regard as Vegas himself did, but Pete was always there sharing the same amount of concern, as if Macau was his own flesh and blood. Vegas couldn’t ever share his gratitude enough for that.

Vegas grinned as Pete gave another deafening blow to Tanawat’s face, the sound of the slap echoing around the room. And he saw the groove that was left on his cheek, a little souvenir from Pete’s ring.

“You still think you can talk without permission, huh?” He lowered the glass slightly, raising his empty hand to press against the man’s throat. Pete wrapped his fingers around his neck, harshly digging his fingers in, not stopping until Tanawat let out an uncomfortable hiss at the sensation. “You only speak when I allow you to speak. Are we clear?”

Tanawat stayed silent.

Pete kicked his shins, the hard rubber of his shoes making a thud at the contact.

“That was a question,” Pete practically snarled. “So, answer me, Tanawat. Are. We. Clear?”

Vegas shot one of the guns in his hand. Not at Tanawat, just aimlessly on the other side of the room, but the terrified reaction he gained from the already squirming man gave him everything he needed.

“Answer him,” Vegas said, pointing the gun back in his direction. “Unless you want him to slash your throat right this second. Or do you still believe he won’t?”

Pete held Tanawat tight as he turned his head to look back at Vegas. They all knew that Tanawat wouldn’t be able to run away regardless of whether he was being pinned against the wall – there was no way he could outrun the guns – but Pete wanted to be sure anyway.

“We could always take a different approach.”

His tone was light as he spoke, like he was having a leisurely conversation about what they should eat for dinner instead of how they should kill a man. That did remind Vegas that they needed to go shopping for some food though…

Pete looked back at Tanawat, pushing his finger into the side of his head, poking him hard for a greater emphasis.

“Vegas could shoot you, right here. Which would you prefer Tanawat? Your blood dripping all over the floor or your brains scattered across the wall?”

Vegas grinned at Pete’s words, “We’re being kind here, normally you wouldn’t get a choice.”

“Oh… I know! How about we give a little demonstration? That way you can have an informed decision. Wouldn’t that be nice?” He forcefully grabbed Tanawat’s face, fingers squashing his skin into a deformed sort of expression. “That would be just lovely, wouldn’t it?”

Taking the hint, Vegas walked over to them, his shoes crunching on the glass littering the floor.

He raised the pistol, lightly grazing the barrel of the gun against him, brushing it through his already bedraggled hair, before jamming the muzzle right into the side of his head. He didn’t miss how Pete let out a laugh at his actions.

God, he really knew it wasn’t the time, it seriously wasn’t, they literally had a tortured man standing between them it was the most unsexy situation… Yet Pete looked goddamn gorgeous, and Vegas had no qualms admitting it.

There was just something about the streaks of blood patterning his face, the blaze in his eyes, the sheer insanity that was coursing through his veins… Because Vegas loved it when Pete lost control, when he was untamed, when he was so ruthless that he was willing to rip apart anyone that stood in his path. It was a side that nobody saw except him – well, apart from the people that he killed, but they couldn’t really tell the tale once they had been slaughtered, so it didn’t really count. He truly loved being the one to see him lose it, to be the witness to his dark streak, to be the one he counted on – the one he trusted enough he be with him when he became this twisted version of himself.

Vegas thought it would be too much to hope people would love him despite his… Deviant behaviours. But to have someone like Pete matching him so perfectly, it always felt like a dream. Of course, that dream was definitely someone else’s nightmare playing out in real time, but wasn’t that all just part of the fun?

“So, which is it?” Pete asked, stroking the ragged glass over Tanawat’s throat. It was already red at the edges from his blood and Vegas wondered for a moment if he had already become numb to the pain of it. Though judging by his wincing, clearly not. “Which is it Tanawat? The glass or the gun?” He caught Vegas’s eye. “Or both?”

“Count down from three?” Vegas suggested.

Pete winked, his eyes twinkling, “Let’s do it.”

Now, they both knew neither one of them was going to actually do it – not yet. They were both having too much fun and they hadn’t had enough yet, not after what he had done to Macau. If he had done something to them? Maybe they would have been merciful, given him an out, shot him there and then… But bring the little brother into the mix? They wouldn’t even consider being generous with their mercy.

All they wanted was a reaction, and a reaction they got.

Once they got down to ‘one’ Tanawat let out a yelp.

“Stop!” he cried, his voice cracking. “Please don’t. Please!”

“Would you look at that, Pete… He does still have a voice.”

Tanawat scowled, side eyeing Vegas.

“You can’t kill me,” he said, after a moment of silence. It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Pete scoffed, “And why not?”

“Because everything I did… It was for my brother.” Tanawat raised his gaze, looking Pete straight in the eyes, acting like Vegas wasn’t even there at all. “It was for Niran,” he hissed. “It was all for him. I wanted Vegas to pay for what he did. I wanted him to suffer like I’ve had to do all these years! You know what? I fucking wish I’d killed Macau before you two idiots had come here. I wish I’d have put his corpse out in the middle of the courtyard where you could see it – where you could stare at it and know how much you’d failed him.” Finally, he turned his gaze towards Vegas. “Because you have. Failed him, I mean. And I think you know you have. Literally everything you say you’ve done for him has just led him down the same path of death and destruction that you walked… Is that what you really want Vegas? For him to end up like you? If that’s the case, I think me killing him would have been a better option than him staying with you.”

Vegas faltered a little at that.

He knew he shouldn’t let Tanawat get under his skin because that was exactly what he wanted, that was his plan. At the end of the day, they were just words. A bunch of verbal diarrhoea blurted out by a panicked man trying to save himself from his own impending doom. But it was working, the things he was saying were working because they were already things that he feared.

He was always terrified that he wasn’t the right person to be taking care of Macau, that he would be the cause of disrupt and anguish in his life. He wanted better for his brother; he wanted him to live a life that Vegas never could. A life of safety, of love, of comfort. Vegas knew they lived in a severely fucked up world, and their lives would never be the same as most kids that Macau knew… But he at least wanted him to decide for himself what he wanted to do himself, instead of being forced into a world of destruction against his will. But with every day that passed Vegas became more and more worried that his little brother would be subliminally corroded from the inside out under his influence.

Pete immediately seemed to notice how Vegas’s face had fallen, how his grip on the gun had slightly slackened and left his arms drifting back to his sides.

He looked back to Tanawat, who was grinning with satisfaction.

“How dare you speak to him like that.”

“You don’t think it was true?” Tanawat asked, feigning innocence, something both of them knew he had not an ounce of.

“Of course I fucking don’t, you piece of shit,” Pete cried, striking him across the face once more. “How could you even think that Vegas had failed his brother… Don’t you think you’re the worst one here? I mean, you couldn’t even keep your brother alive, how great are you?”

“Shut up.”

Pete wrapped both hands around his throat, tighter than before, using the grip to lift him up slightly on the wall. Tanawat was standing on the balls of his feet, eyes wide with panic as he struggled for breath, but Pete didn’t let up for an instant. If anything, it just spurred him on.

Vegas just watched on, completely immobilised as he watched Pete in action. He was in awe of him, to be honest, though that would come as a surprise to absolutely no one.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Pete replied. “You had your say, even though nobody wanted to hear it. So, now you’re going to listen to me. You are an awful person and an even worse brother. You couldn’t protect Niran. You couldn’t keep him alive long enough to get into university, to get a proper education, to build a life for himself, to become a man.”

“Shut. Up.” Tanawat choked out the words.

“You were so focussed on yourself and your own stupid life that you disregarded his, right? You were so self-absorbed and full of yourself, always making everything about you and your goals. Why do you think Niran wandered off to that empty building that day, Tanawat? To get away from you. To get some peace. Because he probably couldn’t stand another second listening to the sound of your voice. So… Let’s recap, shall we? You claim everything is for Niran, but if it had been, wouldn’t he have still been alive? He died because you didn’t care enough to keep him safe and protected.”

Tears were streaming down Tanawat’s face, dripping from his chin onto the floor. Pete tutted in annoyance when he spotted a couple of droplets fall on his shoes.

“That’s not true,” Tanawat gasped for air, trying to claw Pete’s hands away from his neck. “I loved my brother.”

“Maybe so… But you loved yourself more.”

“Bastard,” he snapped, but Pete didn’t even bat an eye.

“And you know what?” Pete continued, as if he had never been interrupted in the first place. “Vegas is incredible. He is loving and tentative and he never lets Macau go a single day without checking in to see how he’s doing. He’s one of the most supportive brothers I know, and he loves the bones off Macau. He would never let anything happen to him. Would never let any harm come to his brother because he cares too goddamn much about his safety – probably more than he does about his own. I don’t think you could ever claim to do the same.”

Pete abruptly let go of the man, sending him tumbling to the floor, blue in the face and gasping desperately for air. He was much too focussed on trying to refill his lungs with oxygen than he was thinking about running away.

Crouching down, Pete put his face close to Tanawat’s, whispering, “Your brother would despise you for what you did to Macau. You claim this is for him, yeah? But there’s no way he would support it.”  

He was getting up before Tanawat could even formulate a reply, looking towards Vegas with a smile.

“Care to do the honours?” he asked, gently.

Vegas blanched a little, faintly surprised.

“You just did all that work; don’t you want to finish the job?”

Pete just shook his head, “Nah, you’ve got this one.”

Well, there was no use him being told again. He pointed his gun directly between Tanawat’s eyes, smirking when he saw the sheer terror in his face, like he knew this time it was for real and there was really no way of talking his way out of it. Like all of the plans he had tried to formulate were falling through in his head and he was suddenly realising that it was truly the end of the line.

“You are sure as hell never gonna see your brother again…” Vegas laughed. “Have fun in hell, asshole.”

And then it was all quiet.

The two men stood there, glaring down at the lifeless body slumped against the wall. At the glaze over his eyes, the way they stared at the everything and nothing all at once. At the blood slowly dripping from the wound at his neck and simultaneously running from the hole in the side of his head, turning the gold strands of his hair red.

For a moment, all Vegas could think of was his father. Walking into that room in the major family mansion, only to find his dad sat on the floor, dead and gone, a bullet through his forehead and his so called family just sat around staring at him.

But he pushed the thought down before he could spiral too deep. Both his father and Tanawat had deserved what came to them, Vegas shouldn’t feel guilty in the slightest for their fates.

He turned to Pete instead, handing back one of the guns he had in his hands, just in case.

“So, what happened with Macau, is he alright?”

Vegas he knew Pete wouldn’t have left his side if he wasn’t, but he had to check anyway.

Pete nodded, lifting his free hand and smoothing down Vegas’s hair.

“He’s perfectly fine, don’t worry.” but he bit his lip slightly nervously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I just… I called Porsche earlier,” Pete explained. “I know we turned them down, but I just didn’t think we could do this on our own, so I asked him to come and help with Macau. He’s taken him back to the major family and they’re gonna keep him safe until we can go pick him up… I’m sorry if you’re angry or-”

Vegas cut him off as he brought him into a bone crushing hug, almost knocking the air out of Pete’s lungs.

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Vegas told him, kissing the side of his head and smiling as he felt Pete cling to him tighter. “You saved my brother, you saved me… You did all of this for our family. How could I ever be mad at that? Pete, you did what you needed to, to get us all out of here. You’re so incredible, you know that right?”

When Pete said nothing, Vegas leant back a little, cupping his face and smiling.

“Did you hear me? I said, you’re amazing, you know that right? We aren’t going anywhere until you agree.”

Pete shook his head, laughing, “We’re going to stand here surrounded by,” he peered around the room, “four dead bodies, until I say that I’m amazing?”

“Precisely. I mean, I believe what I said was incredible, but amazing will also suffice.”

“You’re insane,” Pete said, chuckling. “But fine… I’m incredible.”

Vegas nodded in satisfaction, “But let’s circle back round to that ‘insane’ thing because I don’t think you’re one to talk.”

He gently ran his fingers along his boyfriend’s face, trying his best to wipe away the blood but probably only smearing it across his cheeks more. Pete didn’t seem to mind though, keening into the touch.

“You were the one torturing a man just now,” Vegas continued, smirking. “How sick are you?”

“You love it…” Pete whispered, tilting his head down and lightly capturing Vegas’s lips in a kiss. It only lasted a few seconds tops, but Vegas was sure he could feel the shivers it caused all the way down to his toes. “Come on, we should get out of here.”

It was almost leisurely, the way they walked out of the building, gingerly stepping over the lines of dead bodyguards carpeting the halls – though Vegas did ‘accidentally’ kick a few on his way out. It was nothing more than they deserved. Pete only laughed as he did so, fondly shaking his head.

“Vegas,” he said, tenderly, once they were sat back in the car. “You do know nothing that idiot was saying was true, right?”

He shrugged slightly, “I guess so.”

“Please don’t let him get to you. I meant every word I said back there, you are an amazing brother, and you do everything right by Macau. Tanawat is a complete fool if he thinks he could have ever measured up to you, alright? And I know you probably still don’t believe me because of your stupid little self-depreciation act…” Pete gently tapped his finger on the side of Vegas’s head, his eyes soft as he did so. “But give yourself a break, you’re doing so great.”

There were so many things that Vegas wanted to say in return, so many things that he probably should have said… But in the end, he just settled for something simple.

“I love you,” he smiled, his voice cracking a little.

“I love you too… And so does Macau. Now, come on, let’s go and get him.”

And there was so urgency in that statement anymore, not like before. There was no fear, no anger, no rush.

Vegas finally let himself sit back and take a breath, smiling as he put the car in gear and slowly drove away.

***

He could barely contain himself as the two of them strode through the grounds at the major family compound, practically running up to the building the bursting through the door. They probably both looked a mess, red stained faces, the dried blood crusted unpleasantly against their skin, hair sticking up every which way and sweat gathering at their foreheads, but neither one cared. It would all be worth it the second they laid their eyes on the boy they did it all for.

They were first met with a few bodyguards that Vegas didn’t really recognise, but Pete seemed to, greeting them politely and smiling, telling them the situation, and asking to see Porsche. It didn’t take too much convincing, since they already knew each other, but Vegas was sure they would never have let him in on his own. Sure, he could have just called Porsche to come down at a worst-case scenario, but he was glad Pete was there by his side nonetheless, it made him feel so much more secure – regardless of how many times he had been there before.

The two of them rushed through the building once they were told where to find Porsche. They almost crashed into multiple people in their haste, possibly sending one of the maids flying and nearly tumbling down the stairs as they ran (she was ok though, just to be clear).

Eventually, they burst through the doors of the canteen, a little lost for breath. Vegas spotted Porsche sitting there with Kinn and Macau, all three of them stuffing their faces with snacks.

“Typical,” Vegas joked. “Me and Pete are risking our lives while you’re here enjoying your food. Hope it tastes good.”

Of course, Vegas didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, he was glad Macau was relaxed enough and enjoying himself enough to be eating something, especially after the traumatic event that he had been through. Pete would probably agree, Macau deserved to eat anything he wanted that night, and probably in the weeks that followed.

Macau’s head snapped up at the sound of Vegas’s voice, the relief evident in his features when he took in the sight of them. Obviously, there was concern at their general demeanour, but he could tell they were alright from the smiles on their faces.

The boy abandoned all the food that he had been holding in his grasp, kicking back his chair in his haste to get them, sending it clattering to the floor as he ran at full speed towards Vegas and Pete.

He crashed into them at full force, throwing his arms around their shoulders and bringing them both close as they all clung to one another.

“Are you alright?” Vegas mumbled into his hair, smiling even wider when he heard his brother hum in confirmation. However, it was one that faded quickly when he heard Macau whispering an apology. Vegas stepped away, looking at his brother curiously. “What was that?”

“I said, I’m sorry… For putting you guys in that position. I know you told me I don’t need to be, Pete, but I just… I can’t stop thinking about how this was my fault.” Macau’s eyebrows quivered slightly as he scowled. “I wasn’t strong enough. I failed you both, I couldn’t handle it. You both had to come and bail me out and you could have both gotten killed! All because I’m too weak.”

Vegas could feel his heart breaking inside his chest, and judging by the look on Pete’s face, he felt exactly the same way.

All he had ever wanted was his brother to feel loved and cared for. The fighting lessons weren’t to make him strong or to make him believe he had to be the best fighter in the world, capable of taking down any attacker that came for him. It was just so he could try and defend himself. Vegas never wanted him to fall into the same toxic mindset that he had spiralled down because of their father. The fear of losing, of not being good enough, of never achieving what he had wanted.

He'd be damned if he let Macau go another second thinking that he wasn’t enough.

“Hey,” Vegas said, his voice firm. “You listen to me. Nothing you did was wrong, ok? Nothing. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t fight back at all or if you gave the fight of your life, either way you would have ended up being in the same situation. They were multiple adults up against a child, Macau you never stood a chance, and nobody would have expected you to. The only person at fault here is the people that took you and the people that were supposed to protect you from harm – trust me those goddamn bodyguards are going to be dealt with.”

Pete nodded in agreement, “Oh yeah, those guys are done for. No doubt about it. I mean how could they have just gone and…” He realised he was about to go off on a tangent and cut himself off. “Sorry, continue.”

Vegas smirked a little at his boyfriend, before he took his brothers hand, squeezing tight.

“Macau, let’s get one thing straight here, ok? I would walk through fire for you, I would go to the end of the earth to make sure you’re safe. I would do literally anything for you because you’re my brother and I love you… You could never ever fail me, no matter what you do. And you aren’t weak, God you aren’t weak in the slightest! Look at you here, smiling and running around and eating after you were just locked in a room. Do you know what that takes? Strength.”

The boy scoffed a little, “Yeah right, that doesn’t mean anything Vegas.”

“No, no, he’s telling the truth,” Pete reassured him. “So many people come out of experiences like that forever changed. I mean, look at your cousin, Tankhun was never the same after he was kidnapped.”

Vegas hummed in agreement, “It was definitely different circumstances, but the point remains the same. Only the truly special people could be that mentally strong, and guess what? You’re one of them. So, you should be so proud of yourself. We definitely are.”

Macau didn’t say a word in response. All he did was walk further towards his brother, bringing him in for a tight hug, burying his head in his neck and not letting go.

Vegas looked towards Pete, a little startled. He hugged Macau a lot, they were affectionate and gave each other encouragement most days, but that hug just felt… Different. Like it held an entirely different meaning to all the rest, like it was saying something that words would never be able to touch. So, Vegas just let it happen, holding him back just as tight, not letting go until Macau was ready.

Pete was giving them a warm smile. It was like he was saying ‘see? I told you so’ to everything he had said before they had arrived. Vegas honestly would never be able to express his gratitude enough to Pete. He just got him like nobody else did – aside from his brother.

Before they eventually decided to set off, Vegas looked back to where Porsche and Kinn were still sitting at a table, surveying the scene in silence.

“Hey, Porsche?” he called out.

“Yeah?”

“Uh, thanks. Y’know, for helping Macau.”

Pete echoed the sentiment, smiling at his friend gratefully.

“It really wasn’t a problem.”

“We’re always here for you guys,” Kinn added. “Next time you could just ask for help to begin with.”

Vegas rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah.”

Pete lightly jostled his boyfriend in the side, “We might just take you up on that one day.”

They walked back to the car, Vegas, and Pete on either side of Macau, their arms wrapped around his shoulders. It was a little bit awkward, causing them to bump into each other a lot, and Macau moaned about it and tried to kick up a fuss at first – but they all knew that he secretly loved it, so neither one let go. Especially when they saw the faint smile on his face.

“I think Pete and I are gonna take turns giving you a ride to and from school,” Vegas said, as they drove back home, peering at his little brother in the rear-view mirror.

“God knows we won’t trust those idiots with you again.”

Macau shrugged a little, “Or, I could just never go back again!” There was a smirk on his face as he gave the suggestion.

Looking sideways, Vegas caught Pete’s eye as they exchanged a look.

“Two weeks tops,” Pete said, as he turned around to look Macau, pointing his finger. “So, you can recover.”

“And don’t push your luck, this is us being generous.”

Macau gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.

“Excuse me, I have just been through a traumatic event, I think I should take off the whole year for some rest and relaxation.” He raised his eyebrows. “Or… We could just get takeout for dinner. I’ll settle for that.”

“Sure,” Vegas laughed. “We can get takeout.”

Pete rested his hand on top of Vegas’s where it was placed on the gearstick.

“You can relax now,” he whispered, gently running his thumb back and forth. “It’s all ok.”

“And that’s all down to you.”

He was the one that had gone in all guns blazing, taking those guys down by himself. He was the one that had released his brother from his little prison, getting him out of the building unscathed. He was the one that had arranged for him to be taken back to safety. He was the one that had made Tanawat pay and protected Vegas from any harm.

Vegas loved him too much to ever be able to fully express, but he would sure as hell try. For the rest of his life, he would be trying to repay his gratitude for what Pete had done that day, saving their entire family. Even though he knew Pete did it out of love, not for the reward – but that just made Vegas even more adamant in his appreciation.

“If you’re not all tortured out,” Vegas muttered. “You can get first dibs on the bodyguards back home.”

He would forever savour the practically deranged grin that spread over Pete’s face in that moment.

“Can’t wait.”

“I genuinely can’t tell if this is cute or disturbing…” Macau commented from the back.

“Both,” Vegas and Pete said at the same time, cackling.

Macau rolled his eyes, smiling at them.

And it was just one of those moments. One of those moments Vegas knew he would never forget. Because, sure, the day hadn’t really gone the way he had expected it to and he didn’t think any of them were in a hurry to repeat it (to be honest, he would be very concerned if either of them did), but the main thing was that they were together, and they were safe. They were back being their little family, all three reunited and not planning on being separated again – and God help anybody that tried to change that.