Work Text:
“ Vegas!” Pete’s screams echoed in his ears, feeling too far away.
He felt the grip on his gun loosen and it eventually fell with a clatter next to him. Pete’s warm hands on his bloody skin that got colder by the second. He felt the life drain out of him and yet the only thing he could think of was Pete.
How if Vegas had just turned around faster, if he hadn’t pushed Pete away he might’ve caught the bodyguard. How Pete shot his own colleague so ruthlessly just for his sake.
He could still hear his screams, his crying and begging.
He just wished he could’ve given Pete the life he deserved before getting his own taken away from him.
————————————————————————
“ Cheers!” Macau said triumphantly and the champagne glasses rang as they collided.
Pete took a sip, smiling while overlooking the ground floor. Hundreds of high rollers spilling millions into their machines, watching in glee as coins flowed out of them.
He liked how determined they looked even after losing thousands.
“ Opening your third successful casino, congrats guys.” Arm congratulated and Pete nodded.
“ Thank you. You should go out there, first 5 grand on us.” Pete offered and the way his former colleague’s face lit up was amusing.
He grabbed Pol and ran off towards the slot machines, their expensive champagne almost spilling.
He turned to Macau and took his son from his arms, holding Venice up so he could see all the pretty lights.
Behind the glass walls was the glistening skyline of Malaysia. They owned one casino here and another two in Singapore , all hand in hand with their four star hotels.
V.P incorporated was a massive success with the help of Macau and Vegas’ negotiation skills. That with Pete’s people skills they were golden, the four of them being able to provide a comfortable life for themselves.
Everyone fawned over Vegas and Macau, completely unaware of their dark past. But Kinn and Porsche worked hard to erase all that.
“ There you are.” Vegas appeared, walking over in his expensive looking suit like always.
After the incident he stopped wearing brightly colored suits with gaudy patterns. It fit him well but he didn’t want to be seen as a ‘playboy’ now that he was a public figure.
“ How’s my darling doing?” He asked as he took Venice, lifting him high above his head. The baby giggled at his father and the smile on Vegas’ face was unmatched.
“ And how’s my love?” He turned to Pete and kissed him on the cheek, making his face light up like his own.
“ Ahem.” Macau cleared his throat, looking at his brother with an expectant glare.
“ And how’s my 25 year old brother that still mooches off me?” Vegas took his face by his hands extra aggressively and kissed his forehead.
Venice giggled as his uncle struggled out of his big brother’s grasp.
“ Ow ow ow! You dont have to hold on so tight!” Macau hit his arm over and over as Vegas kissed his forehead in increasing force.
Pete laughed, bouncing his son up and down in amusement.
“ I better not see any underage girls here to see you.”
“ What underage girls?”
“ No one under 21. Malaysian law.” Vegas pointed and Macau rolled his eyes.
“ We live in Singapore, they wouldn’t drive out here just for me.”
“ Hmm i heard a girl named Sabrina was here, asking for ‘the young owner’.” Pete gave away his alias and Vegas glared at his brother.
“ Shes 22!”
“ Just go to her.” Vegas waved him off and Macau ran away once his cover was blown.
By his own brother in law too.
Pete laughed when he saw how fast Macau ran to catch up with the girl. He knows they dont have a thing. Vegas is usually too busy to notice Macau’s friends but that girl was one of the first Macau made when they moved.
Singapore was a new environment, one they craved badly after all the things that happened.
And it wasn’t so far from home they would be forced into an unfamiliar place. Vegas wanted to move to the states but Pete refused to be far from his grandmother.
“ Did they come?” Vegas asked, not looking up from Venice as he played with him.
Pete knew exactly who he was talking about.
“ They just arrived, they went to find their rooms.” Pete said and Vegas nodded in recognition.
“ Is he bringing Porchay? I know it’ll make Macau happy.”
Pete snorted and sat down on one of the soft couches, his husband sitting down with him.
“ He is. Apparently Kinn is very excited to see his little cousin.”
Vegas’ smile faltered at the mention of his cousins name but he recovered in a split second.
“ Good.” Vegas said quietly and looked up to kiss Pete.
They smiled into the kiss, Venice tugging at Pete’s shirt almost as if to separate them.
Pete felt lucky to have this life. He was lucky Vegas survived the gun shots, he was lucky to rebuild the Theerapanyakul name with Vegas and he was lucky to have a little family of his own.
He was glad he could fly out his friends and show them the empire he built with said family.
Vegas had a hard time adjusting after losing his inheritance. Porsche let them stay in their family home but Vegas couldn’t stand being in the shadow of Kinn, much less Porsche.
A bartender turned bodyguard who was lucky enough to fall into the role he spent his whole life preparing to fill. Given to him by the man who murdered his father.
It was too much for his bitter heart.
So they moved. They took Macau and all their belongings that weren’t tainted by the mafia name, which wasn’t much. Pete said goodbye to his grandmother and they fled Thailand.
They started V.P incorporated in Singapore, a chain of hotels all over Asia. Then the hotels became bars, bars became casinos. Casinos turned into million dollar profit businesses that provided them the luxurious life they were used to.
They paid for Macau’s college tuition, it paid for their water front house they called their new family home.
And it paid for Venice’s adoption process.
It was something Pete never dreamed of achieving but god is he happy he did.
“ Pete.” A familiar voice called out for him and he looked up to see his best friend standing there with a million bags, arms wide open with a huge smile.
“ Oh my god you look great!” Porsche came up to him and hugged him, Pete having barely enough time to hand Venice to Vegas.
“ I’m so glad you’re here.” Pete said as they hugged.
Porsche looked great as always, perfectly tailored suits that matched his high stake title.
And Kinn stood behind his partner with a soft smile.
Vegas took to the sides, busying himself with his son instead of his family.
“ I brought clothes for Venice.” Porsche said and laid down the 4 large bags all filled to the brim with various baby clothes.
Some were customs, some were costumes. It was all a bit too much for a 2 year old.
They sat down across from Pete and Vegas looked nervous, fidgeting with his fingers. Pete took hold of his hand and Vegas’ grip tightened.
“ It looks like V.P is doing good.” Kinn complimented and Vegas forced a smile on his face.
“ We’ve had a good quarter.”
“ Every quarter is a good quarter with V.P.” Porsche shut down his attempt at a humble retort.
Porsche was always worried what would happen to them. After feeling the betrayal that was Vegas’ gun being pointed right at his face, he shouldn’t have. But he did. Because he wasn’t just Vegas, Kinn’s asshole cousin. He was Vegas, the man Pete left everything for.
And Pete meant more to him than a silly rivalry ever would.
“ What can i say? We have a talented President.” Vegas turned to Pete and the praise left a blush on his face.
They were always meant for each other.
“ Don’t you guys wanna check out the main floor?” Pete asked and Porsche shook his head.
“ I’m not into that but i saw Arm and Pol having the time of their life on black-jack.” Porsche laughed and Pete followed.
Kinn kept spinning the ring on his pointer finger nervously, the same ring with the Major clan crest. Pete recognized the fidget from when Kinn introduces people to Tankhun for the first time.
“ Vegas. Can i have a word with you?” Kinn asked finally and Pete turned to see his husband’s reaction.
His jaw clenched, making the outline of his muscle evident.
“ Sure.” He said and stood up, baby still in hand.
“ I’ll be right back, i’ll hand Venice to Macau so you two can talk.” Vegas kissed his head and Pete nodded.
He said goodbye to Venice before the two walked away, leaving just the two friends.
Pete was afraid it’d be tense, a little awkward since it’s been so long since they’ve seen each other. But it wasn’t.
Because Porsche was waving down a waitress and ordering two bottles of soju, Pete’s preferred drink.
He was sitting next to him all excited and child like, something he never lost.
“ I cant believe how soft Vegas is with you.” Porsche said as he poured Pete a shot.
“ What can i say? He’s changed.”
“ Has he?”
“ Oh its incredible. It took months of therapy but he’s finally at a safe space.” Pete nodded, proud of how far Vegas has come.
Porsche also looked proud, happy to see Pete happy.
“ I must say, i’m jealous.” Porsche admitted and Pete was taken back.
“ Really?”
“ Yeah. My dream was always to open a bar and make something from the ground up.”
“ What are you talking about? You own tons of bars.”
“ Yeah but i never got to work in them myself. My dream was to be behind the counter serving drinks and having interesting conversations, not overseeing liquor import and business proposals.” Porsche downed his shot and made a face.
Pete did the same, much too familiar with the taste to have much of a reaction.
“ Kinn wanted out. We could’ve but he didn’t take the chance. And now we’re far too deep to ask again.” Porsche said with a smile but his face looked different.
He had bags under his eyes, the look in his face holding the image of a tired man. Someone who held up a front, like Pete once did.
“ I’m sorry.”
“ For what? For finding happiness? You’re the last person in the world who doesn’t deserve every good fortune that comes your way.”
Pete closed his eyes and put his head down.
“ If it all becomes too much, you have a home in Singapore. Every hotel with my name on it is a place you can escape to.” Pete put a hand on Porsche’s shoulder and the look his friend gave him made him want to cry.
He looked so appreciative.
“ Same goes for you.”
“ Thank you. But I honestly can’t imagine a place I’d feel more comfortable than with them.” He looked over the railing to see Macau talking to Porchay.
Venice on his shoulders, almost asleep on top of his head. Macau held him by his hands to keep him in place but he’d shift nervously whenever Venice stirred.
He was always so careful with him.
“ Macau seems happy.” Porsche commented and Pete hummed.
“ I hope so. Losing their father hit both of them harder than expected. Losing everything they’ve ever known. But he’s a good kid.”
Porsche nodded.
“ Do you think if Gun had never decided to attack, things would’ve gone differently?”
The question was something Pete asked himself all the time. And for the first time his answer would be heard by someone else.
“ Yes. But i’m glad it turned out this way. They deserved better than being their father’s punching bags.” Pete never took his eyes off of Macau.
Porsche let out a satisfied sigh and poured two more shots.
“ Then cheers. To your new casino, to your new life.” Porsche held up the glass and the same glint Pete’s always admired made an appearance.
He downed the shot with his best friend and smiled.
————————————————————————
“ How’s your injuries?” Kinn asked and Vegas let out a scoff.
“ It’s been 7 years Kinn, i’m sure you can find a better topic than something that happened nearly a decade ago.”
Kinn laughed and looked down at his bourbon.
“ I never thought I’d be able to talk to you like this.”
“ Like a normal person? Yeah me neither.”
They fell into silence, so tense you could feel it in the air. The city outside bustled with noise and it was deafening.
“ I’m happy for you. You have a family.”
“ Is that all?” Vegas asked, pushing himself off the balcony and about to turn away.
“ If i asked you to come back, would you?” Kinn asked and it made Vegas stop in his tracks.
“ What?”
“ I can see the struggle in Porsche. Being the head of a mafia family is hard enough but going into it with no training….its worse.”
“ Its been 7 years.”
“ So you keep saying.”
Vegas closed his eyes and faced Kinn with newfound dignity. A brand new one he credited to Pete.
“ If you asked me 5 years ago I would’ve said yes. If you asked me 3 years ago I would’ve hesitated but my ultimate answer would’ve been yes.”
“ And now?” Kinn looked up and the cousin’s were surprised.
They didn’t hate each other anymore. Their eyes didn’t hold malice with every look and their chests didn’t huff with anger.
It was just…..them.
“ No. I would never trade lives with you. Not after what i put Pete through to get here.”
Kinn smiled softly and nodded.
“ You really love him.“
“ I do. We have a family together, a multi million empire together. I live my life for him.”
“ Why?” Kinn asked and the question sounded stupid as soon as he said it.
“ Porsche is your heart right?” Vegas asked and Kinn nodded.
“ Pete is my everything. Macau and Venice are my heart and soul but Pete….he’s everything.”
Vegas has always given his all to whats most important to him. It was once the Minor clan and once even his father but never has he felt for someone the same way he feels for Pete.
“ I wish the best for you Kinn. I truly do. You and Porsche have done great things together but for now, please leave me and my family out of the crime world. We’ve worked too hard to get dragged back into that hell hole.”
It kind of stung to have your side of the world be called a hell hole. But Kinn understood where Vegas came from.
Vegas was always more inclined to crime than Kinn was so hearing him call the mafia unworthy of his effort..it was strange.
“ Have a good time. I’ll make sure the staff treats you like royalty.” Vegas raised a glass to him and walked away.
His walk wasn’t the same anymore. It didn’t hold the same arrogance and fury it once did. Nothing about Vegas did.
He was still the same hot tempered devil spawn he always was but with someone like Pete by his side, it mellowed out.
Maybe it was time to put everything aside. The past is long gone, and so is the childish rivalry between the Major and Minor clan.
Still, there’ll always be a rift between them. Especially now that he seemed so untouchable. Protected and happy.
Safe.
————————————————————————
“What did you talk to Kinn about?” Pete asked as he put the baby down, Vegas standing by the door.
They were whispering to not wake up Venice who was passed out from all the excitement. He got to meet a lot of new people today, the poor thing was exhausted but happy.
“ He asked me how i’m doing.” Vegas said softly and came up behind Pete to hug him.
They looked down at their sleeping son, dressed in the new pajamas Porsche got for him. It had clouds all over it and was the prettiest shade of baby blue.
“ Thats it?” Pete asked and Vegas’ jaw tensed.
There was a brief moment of silence before Vegas sighed, a slight pout on his face.
“ He asked if I’d come back. Take over the Minor clan.”
At this Pete inhaled sharply, remembering how Porsche revealed to him he was struggling with the responsibility. It was a drunken admittance but it was a secret amongst them only.
“ What did you say?” Pete asked, bringing his hand to hold the one wrapped around his waist.
“ I said no. I wouldn’t give up all this to go back to that.”
Pete smiled at his answer and the two rocked side to side, a weird habit that started when Venice still had his crib mobile.
“ I wouldn’t either.”
“ Yeah?” Vegas asked, smiling as he rest his chin on Pete’s shoulder.
“ Yeah. I’m happy. Very happy.”
Vegas smiled even wider and kissed the back of Pete’s neck lovingly.
“ Me too.”
Life wasn’t always easy, far from it for both of them. The hurt they put each other through early on in their relationship was still a hardship they couldn’t quite get over.
He remembers how the Minor clan bodyguards rejected Porsche as their master and Kinn brought Vegas to hold them off. He remembers how they scared away from Pete, terrified to even be in his presence.
Because on confrontation day Vegas had told them if one of them even attempts to shoot a bullet in Pete’s direction, he’d kill them himself.
And the pitiful state that was Vegas still recovering was enough to make the guards respect Porsche. Because how could they follow someone who could barely walk on their own?
How could the terrifying first son of the tyrant Gun be crumpled to nothing in just one day? Reduced to a nobody?
How were they supposed to follow his orders when he was following a former Major clan bodyguard?
The hurt was more than Vegas could bare, the humiliation and embarrassment. He spent weeks bed ridden in his empty house, not a single person guarding his doors or manning the floors.
He was so anxious that someone would break in and nobody would be there to protect Macau or Pete. He slept with a gun stowed away under his pillow and refused to walk on the crutches the doctors gave him.
He was stubborn and hurting, a lot. He completely cut Kinn and Korn out of his life, leaving just Pete and Macau beside him.
Just the three of them against the world.
And it was the same now than it was back then, except it was four.
“ Are you tired?” Vegas asked and Pete nodded, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on Vegas.
“ I drank a lot. Porsche’s alcohol tolerance is no joke.”
“ He was a bartender, what do you expect?”
“ Thats true.”
Vegas and Pete chuckled, still quiet to not disturb the baby. They watched over Venice a little more before going back to their room.
They rented a house a little far from the casino so it was quieter. Macau stayed at the hotel and so did their guests but they wanted privacy.
“ Let’s go to bed my love.” Vegas said and Pete nodded.
They stumbled into their rooms, Pete laying down without taking his clothes off so Vegas did it for him. He got them ready for bed, taking a tired and slightly hungover Pete to the bathroom.
They brushed their teeth together, Pete washing his face and Vegas washing all the mousse and hairspray out of his hair.
When they got back to their bed Vegas was towel drying his hair and Pete put his glasses on. His vision got a little worse but he took his contacts out and put on the reading glasses he ‘didn’t actually need’.
“ Tv?” Pete asked and Vegas nodded, wordlessly getting into bed next to him and laying his head on his shoulder.
He had his towel over his head to not make Pete’s clothes wet and watched whatever show Pete on intently.
They held hands, wanting to be close to each other as the main characters on the tv danced around each other.
“ Vegas?” Pete asked and he looked up.
“ I love you.” Pete said quietly, almost a whisper.
He was always shy to say it but it made Vegas’ face light up instantly so it was worth it.
“ I love you too. I don’t know what i did to deserve you.” Vegas leaned up and kissed Pete’s forehead before taking his place back on his shoulder.
If he could relive these small domestic moments every day he would. Because out of everything in his life, he loved the memories he shares with Pete the most.