Chapter Text
“Good morning, Khun Pete.”
The bodyguard nodded in respect as his boss passed, who in return gave him a brief smile.
Aat wasn’t sure what to make of him if he was being perfectly honest. He had been a loyal bodyguard for the minor family for a number of years, recruited back when Vegas’s dad was still the head, back when Porsche was just a car instead of a name that everyone knew, back when everything was completely different.
He had met Pete many times, when he had been assigned to accompany Vegas on missions. Back then, he had been the head bodyguard of the rival family, dressed up in his suits, proudly showing off the shining golden pin emblazoned on his jacket. He used to look at the minor family bodyguards warily, not in fear… More in a general cautiousness, which most of them found more than a little insulting considering they weren’t that different.
The only thing that separated them was the fact that they worked for different parts of a family, that was all. They were all still bodyguards, their job was to serve and protect, to follow orders and to make sure the family they were hired for was safe. Aat would put his life on the line for his bosses, as he was sure Pete would do the same for Kinn. Which was why it rubbed him the wrong way to see Pete so cagey around them when he came to their compound on missions, as if the only difference between them was their employer.
Aat thought he was a little snobbish for his taste, not engaging in any conversation with the minor bodyguards, mainly just keeping to himself. Whenever he was on missions he would merely sit there silently, as he regarded Vegas and Porsche with a distrustful expression. It was almost like he was tracking their every move. Aat didn’t know what it was about, previously he thought it was because he didn’t trust Vegas to keep up with his side of the plans. Though, considering Pete was now dating Vegas… He would put it down to jealousy and think nothing more on it. It seemed like the most logical solution, what with Vegas clearly having been flirting with Porsche quite a bit – orders or not, the flirting was palpable and any of the bodyguards around them, even the most oblivious, could see it.
Perhaps that was why them dating came as a bit of a shock… No, a lot of a shock. Vegas was so out there when he was pursuing Porsche, making his intent clear to anyone that so much as glanced in their general vicinity. It was a little sickening, to be honest, having to witness his flirting all the time, and Porsche’s seemingly lack of awareness towards it (he seemed to be the only one not to realise what was happening). So, him and Pete dating just seemed to come completely out of the blue. There wasn’t any warning signs, nothing that would have alluded to them even liking one another.
And of all the people Vegas could have chosen to start a public relationship with, Aat never would have guessed that it would be someone like Pete. Someone so… Boring and tame. With all the people he had seen his boss with before, Pete seemed to pale in comparison… Though that image quickly faded as Pete became a more prominent member around the compound, making way for something dark and brooding. He had seen the way that the man behaved during the heat of a battle, the red-hot fire that practically seeped from his pores as he protected those he cared about. Pete was ruthless and intense when he needed to be – quite different to the quiet, almost shy, man that used to present himself. Sometimes he would even give Vegas a run for his money with the sheer mania that he seemed to exhibit during fights.
And seeing the two of them together was like something else entirely. They would smile so softly and speak in a tone that almost nobody else could hear, like it was lighter than air itself. To say it was unnerving to see the infamous Vegas, the bloodthirsty, trigger happy, man, bested by a former bodyguard, turning him into a giggling mess of a person… It was an understatement to say the least. If someone had told Aat a few months prior that Vegas would have fallen in love with Pete, he would have laughed in their face and called them insane. Yet, it happened and now it seemed odd that it had never always been that way.
Pete moved in. He became one of the most powerful people in the minor family. Though Porsche was their official head, it was known by pretty much everyone that the day-to-day operations there were run by Vegas and Pete. They were the ones that lived permanently in the minor family compound, instead of flitting back and forth to be with Kinn.
It seemed like Pete was a permanent fixture in their lives, both Macau and Vegas looking at him like he hung the sun in the sky. Aat was still wary though. He truly didn’t know what to make of him… He couldn’t grasp what his true personality was. Was it the gentle flower that nobody dare touch? Or the burning fury that shot anyone that had the audacity to even look at him?
It was only when Macau became injured that Aat realised why everyone adored him so much.
The boy came back from school bloodied and bruised, a scowl etched on his face. Aat looked on in shock as he staggered into the compound, his nose streaming red.
“Get my brother,” he snapped. Not to Aat specifically, just to anyone listening. But since the others busied themselves guiding the boy to sit down, he took it upon himself to go and find help.
He raced through the grounds, heading towards Vegas’s office – which normally they were instructed not to go near during specific times of the day. Times when it was made clear he wanted to be by himself. If it was during Gun’s rule, they would have been shot on sight just by knocking… And to be truthful, he was still a little wary of that happening. But when there was no yelling or gunfire at his tentative rap on the door, he felt it was somewhat safe to proceed.
“Khun Vegas, I-” Aat’s eyes fell not on Macau’s brother, but on Pete instead. He backtracked a little awkwardly. “Sorry- Khun Pete, I mean…”
Pete shrugged it off, “Vegas has a meeting with Kinn. What’s the problem? I can deal with it.”
“It’s Macau, sir. He’s been hurt.”
No sooner had those words left his lips, Pete had risen from the chair he was sat in, a furious expression on his face.
Aat had thought he would need to give a little more context, explain literally anything else (not that he really had much other information to give) but the man was already advancing towards the door with clear purpose, marching down the hall within the time it took Aat to merely blink, having to scramble after him. He looked on nervously, unsure as to what reaction was going to come of the situation. Pete was practically impossible to read.
“Where is he?”
“He was by the front door when I left him…” Aat replied. “I think he was probably taken to the infirmary though.”
Pete nodded in response, heading in that direction.
He burst through the doors when he finally arrived, practically buzzing with anger, though that seemed to quickly dissipate when he laid his eyes on Macau. The man went to his side, gently wrapping his arms around him, Macau burying his head in his chest as he softly sobbed – though it was clear that he was holding himself back, probably with all the eyes of the bodyguards on him.
“Leave us alone,” Pete ordered, his voice polite but firm. Nobody particularly wanted to argue, filing out of the room, and standing in the hallway.
Not much could be heard, other than Pete’s insistent questioning. After he had made sure the boy was ok, taking care of his injuries (Macau apparently kept pushing away anyone that tried to help him before), he had begun asking who had done this to him, demanding all of the information that he needed. Oddly, Macau seemed hesitant to give it up, which was something Aat had never known from him before.
He had been there when an incident had happened between him and Porsche, involving Macau being pushed into the pool and hitting his head quite nastily on the bottom. He had made sure everyone knew right away, dropping Porsche in it and watching intently as the punishment was given to the man – even seeming to enjoy it. But it was entirely different when he spoke to Pete. Though Aat couldn’t hear everything, he could make out the hesitance that Macau seemed to be displaying in his voice. Like he didn’t want Pete to know who had hurt him. Though, when Pete finally got it out of him, it became very apparent why.
He stormed out of the room, eyes burning with something Aat had never seen before.
“You,” he said, staring at Aat and another guard beside him. “Come with me.”
They complied, of course, but not without confusion.
“Where are we going, Khun Pete?” Aat asked, hesitantly.
“To find the son of a bitch that laid their hands on my brother,” Pete spat, practically running down the street at the pace he was going.
Aat looked at the bodyguard beside him in alarm, something that was very clearly mirrored. They both were very much aware of what Pete was capable of, they had fought beside him and opposite him in numerous battles and he was sure everyone would agree, it was so much better having him onside. Once you were one of his enemies, it was like a timer had started on your life, one that there was no way of turning off, no matter how much you might try. He was appointed head bodyguard for a reason, entrusted to take care of the oldest sun for a reason, taken on missions with Kinn and Vegas for a reason. He was damn good at what he did – scarily good.
He feet pounded the pavement as he walked to where he needed to go, allowing the bemused bodyguards to trail after him cluelessly as they continued their pursuit of… Justice? Revenge? They had no clue what was even going to happen when they got there.
Eventually, they came to a standstill in front of a house, the gates wide open just begging them to step onto the property. A thing that Pete was all intent on doing. His hand was reaching for his gun, about to step inside – but just as he did so, hands were gripping onto him, pulling him back and pressing him firm against the wall.
The bodyguards had drawn their guns in an instant, pointing at the person that had grabbed him… But the person they clapped their eyes on was a great relief.
Vegas stood there in his loose black shirt, silver necklace swinging from his neck like a pendulum as he leaned towards Pete. He had pulled up behind them in his car, running out and stopping him at the last second before he had gone in all guns blazing – quite literally speaking. He had acted so fast that he had left the door open in his wake, the faint hum of the radio still playing.
Aat allowed himself to relax, knowing it wasn’t some psycho trying to kill Pete.
“What are you doing here?” Pete asked, looking at his boyfriend in confusion.
“Macau called. Told me what happened and where you were headed.”
“For God’s sake, I just-”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Vegas demanded; his face close to Pete’s, not waiting for him to say anything else.
“I was protecting Macau!” he replied, defensively. “You didn’t see what they did to him, Vegas! You weren’t there. There was blood all over his face, probably bruising that we haven’t even seen yet. What, you think I’m just gonna let that go?”
Vegas held strong, continuing to press his boyfriend against the solid bricks behind him. That was probably a smart move, with the state he was in, Pete was probably go tearing straight towards the house again if not held back.
“I’m not saying you should let it go,” he said, gently. “I’m saying you need to be smarter than this – something that I know you are.”
Pete scowled back, clearly still irate.
“C’mon Pete… I literally just came from a meeting with Kinn and Porsche. Remember them? The guys that are basically our bosses? You think they wouldn’t find out about this little stunt? Whatever it is you were planning. God you… You can’t just go and shoot a kid because he hit Macau. You just can’t.”
“But-”
“Just… Just think about it logically for a second,” Vegas cut him off. His voice still remained at a steady level, no volume increase, no anger or aggression… It was crazy the affect that Pete had on him. If it were anyone else, he would no doubt be kicking and screaming at them for how stupid and reckless they were being. “I take no joy in saying this, trust me, and I’m just as mad as you are – but you can’t shoot him. For one, Macau doesn’t want that. He told me himself, Pete. He’s not the same little dumbass that liked seeing others punished… He doesn’t want this to go any further than it has to, and I see his point. What do you think will happen if he goes back to school and people find out you shot one of his classmates? Nobody will go near him; he’ll be in an arguably worse position than he is right now.”
“So, you’re saying we let this idiot get away with what he did?”
“I’m not saying that at all.”
“Then what?” he glared at Vegas.
Aat knew he would be able to break out of the hold if he so wished, Vegas likely knew it too. But Pete seemed to be calming down with each second that passed, his voice definitely at a lower decibel than it had been frequently. The calming affect they had worked both ways, it seemed.
Vegas took one hand off him, stroking his hair lightly instead.
“I’m saying we need to think of something else. Something that won’t come back to bite us – or Macau,” he explained. “We can be smart about this; we can make the kid pay… But it can’t be just outright shooting him, Pete. You’d end up arrested or worse and I doubt Kinn or Porsche would look lightly at your actions, no matter how close you are to them.” Vegas leant closer, resting their foreheads together. “Pete… I love you, and the last thing I want is you landing in trouble because of some idiotic teenager that can’t handle his anger. Trust me, I’m pissed off too… But this isn’t the way.”
Pete let out a breath, nodding slightly and Vegas fully let go, content in the knowledge that he wouldn’t go running straight into the house. And he was right. The only move Pete made after that was winding his arms around his boyfriend’s neck and nuzzling his nose into the side of his face. It felt like an extremely private moment, one that he felt a little awkward to be witnessing, but it ended pretty soon after it had begun.
“Come on, let’s go home,” Vegas mumbled as they pulled away, quickly kissing Pete’s forehead. He spared a quick glance to the bodyguards as they advanced towards the car, jerking his head as he motioned for them to get in too.
Once they returned to the compound, Macau immediately raced (ok more like slowly limped) towards them, relief written all over his face.
“Thank god, I thought he might not have been able to stop you.”
Pete brought him into a hug, lightly ruffling his hair as Vegas scoffed.
“Yeah right, he does exactly what I say…”
“As if,” came Pete’s retort. He looked down at Macau. “Have you eaten?”
The boy shook his head.
Vegas smiled at them, “I’ll make us some food.”
Aat found himself smiling as he watched them all walking away towards the kitchen, Vegas and Pete holding hands as Pete kept his other arm wrapped around Macau’s shoulder.
While he hated that it took Macau getting hurt to bring Aat to his realisation, it did prompt him to learn why everyone loved Pete. It’s because, despite how many masks he wore throughout his life, despite how little he showed of his real self to the masses… When it came down to those he loved, he wouldn’t even hesitate. When it came down to the people he cared about so deeply, nothing would stand in his way of making things right. That day, he hadn’t been the delicate flower, smiling all innocently. He hadn’t been in bodyguard mode fulfilling his duty. He had been angry and desperate and filled to the brim with love. Aat couldn’t fault him for that.
And the fact that Vegas had managed to cool him down in a matter of minutes, stopping him from completely boiling over with violence and rage… That was just astounding. And it worked both ways too. Aat had no doubt in his mind that if that same situation had happened before Vegas had fallen for Pete, he would have done the same thing. He would have shot that kid without a moment of hesitation… Possibly because back then, he felt he had nothing to lose when the consequences crept up on him.
He truly understood in that moment why they fit so well together, why they had been so quickly accepted by everyone around them. It was because everyone could see just how deeply they loved one another. They were callous fighters a lot of the time and their kills counts were probably through the roof – which was to be expected. But the fact that they would promise not to kill for one another, that they would push all anger aside in order to keep love at the forefront. That was the most amazing thing.
Some said that love made you soft, that it created a weak point where people could attack. But after seeing Vegas and Pete that day, Aat had to readily disagree. If that was love – it could only make you stronger, the strongest you had ever been. Vegas and Pete leaned on each other, built each other up, and he almost felt pity for the boy who’d hit Macau… Because that kid had no idea the storm that was brewing, the sheer power that was about to come crashing down on him. Because the two of them together, well, it was pretty unbeatable.