Hold me close and we'll just leave it all behind

I look at you and I dream

The doorbell chimed, a sharp counterpoint to the nervous fluttering in Pete's stomach. Vegas was standing outside with the crisp white lilies in his hand, their fragrance mingling with his intoxicating cologne. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his posture and opened the door.

Vegas' emerald shirt shimmered, the buttons exposing his well built front in a way that made Pete's mouth go dry. His confident smile, though, was the real showstopper. But he wasn't letting Vegas know about that yet.

"Wow," Vegas managed, his voice slightly hoarse, "You look incredible." Pete's black silk shirt worked wonders on Vegas' mind.

Pete laughed, "Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself," he teased clearly, making an understatement, taking the flowers with a flourish. "These are beautiful, Vegas. You shouldn't have."

"Nonsense," he insisted, a grin tugging at his lips. "First dates deserve lilies."

Their eyes met, and the air crackled with unspoken energy. A beat of comfortable silence stretched before Vegas broke it, "Shall we?" he gestured towards his bike.

The restaurant was a symphony of hushed conversation, glittering chandeliers, and opulent decor. The menu was daunting, a culinary labyrinth of French names and exotic ingredients. As they discussed their choices, their conversation flowed effortlessly. Pete had an infectious laugh, and Vegas found himself lost in the sparkle of his eyes as he recounted a story about a funny incident at the university.

The waiter arrived with their wine. Vegas raised his glass, a playful glint in his eye, "To a fantastic first date gorgeous, hopefully not the last."

Pete clinked his glass against his, "To that," he countered, his smile lingering a beat too long before he took a sip.

As the night wore on, the conversation turned flirty. When Pete complimented his shirt, Vegas ran a finger down the neckline, sending a thrill through him. "It's new," he confided, his voice a husky whisper, "Figured I needed something lucky for tonight."

Pete's heart thumped against his ribs. "Well, it worked," Vegas continued, leaning closer, "You're definitely lucky for me."

A slow smile spread across Pete's face, and for a moment, the world around them faded away. Just as their lips were about to meet, a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes.

"You know, Vegas," he said, leaning back playfully, "you never did tell me that disastrous cookie story."

Vegas laughed, the tension dissipating, "Another time, then," he promised. "But first, dessert?" Pete's eyes shone with delight. "Always."

As Vegas parked his bike in front of Pete's building, he felt his phone chime. "I think you have to get going Vegas," Pete said as he was then trapped against the bike by Vegas with a smirk and a raised brow, "Well, don't you think I deserve a small reward for tonight?" Tension filled the air again as Pete's eyes started to linger all over Vegas' now even more exposed torso. Pete gulped regaining his composure and pushed Vegas' torso with a finger, "Maybe next time we meet darling." Pete blew a kiss after thanking him for a wonderful night as he entered his apartment.

Another call from Nop broke Vegas' trance as he called his bodyguard back regaining his cold aura, "What is it Nop? I had instructed to not be disturbed unless an emergency arises."

"Khun, It is your father. He..."

Vegas slammed open the main gate as he ran down the hallway to the living room. "Papa! You promised to not touch Macau at all."

"Oh look, here comes another useless child!" Gun roared loudly at Vegas. "I wouldn't have to if you fucking looked after him properly. Look at this brat's marks. First he fought saying he wanted to study some worthless degree but he still managed to barely pass. And on top, he had the guts to hide these scores," he continued swinging his hand towards Macau once again as Vegas abruptly stood between them taking the hit.

"Actually more than this brat, it is your fucking fault. God gave me two sons but both of them are useless. At least the younger one does not use the Theerapanyakul surname but you worthless shit carry that name and embarrass me even more. Fucking pathetic. You both are as useless as her," Gun screamed before getting quiet.

The silence stretched, heavy and oppressive. Finally, with a frustrated grunt, Gun turned and stormed out. The slam of the back door echoed through the house causing a shiver to pass through Macau.

"H-hia" Macau sobbed as Vegas held him close, his heart pounding against his ribs. Vegas waited until his sobs subsided into small hiccups, "It's okay, buddy," Vegas murmured, his voice thick with unshed tears. "It's okay."

The air between the brothers became awkward once again as Macau pulled himself from his brother. "Hia, I think I will go do some assignments," he said as he dashed to his room and slammed the door.

Vegas kept staring at his door as he pulled out his phone to text Kinn for a meeting for the next day.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And this will be the assignment I expect everybody to complete during the summer break," Pete explained to his class as this was an assignment comprising thirty percent of their grade for the year.

"I hope you all use the one week head start wisely by choosing the correct theme. This will be all for the day," Pete said as everybody stood up, excited to head to the cafeteria for lunch. As Macau was also about to leave, he heard, "Macau, I want to talk to you about something."

"Yes Khun Pete, is it about the extension date?" Macau asked as he felt colors draining out of his face.

"Not just that, it is about your performance ever since this year began. Irregular assignments, dropping grades, at this rate I'm afraid you will not be able to pass. I have seen your potential before and I am positive that you can do much better. So what is it that has been keeping you so distracted lately? If you want to talk about it, I'm ready to hear you out."

"Khun Pete, it is nothing actually," Macau started but was interrupted by Pete, "Do not say nothing, when your grades and behavior speak a different story. Look Macau I don't want to fail you. If you wish not to share, at least figure it out."

"It's my-" Macau paused, holding his breath as he felt a hand comforting his back. "Family, Khun. It's not the best, if you get what I'm trying to say. I should not disturb you with that, I'm sorry Khun... I'll fix it," he started rambling as Pete stroked his back as an attempt to comfort him getting a set of flashbacks himself.

"Calm down Macau, it's okay. If you have any issues, just reach out to me during the break, whether it is to talk about anything, or any help while studying or just to get away from your family. I'll be a mail away. Calm down Macau, it's not your fault," Pete consoled the young boy while offering help. Pete related to a toxic family a little too much and wanted to try his best to help his student.

"And as for the extension, I think I understand, submit it before the break starts. Don't over stress yourself," Pete said as he prepared to leave the class.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We have to arrange a way for you to present your own idea instead of blabbering the elder's plans," Kinn said as he looked at Vegas skimming through some file, his black suit contrasting the white color of the file.

"Do you really think I haven't thought about that? Everytime I try to go to a meeting unannounced, papa always manages to find out about it and proceeds to share the plan I must say?"

"How about I try to fix a meeting with Ratchasakun in private?" Kinn suggested to which Vegas rebutted, "Pointless, I'm suspecting a spy of my father among my staff."

As both were thinking about any possible solution to the issue at hand, Vegas' phone chimed with a few notifications from a certain 'Mr. Pretty'.

Pete:
Are you busy right now??

Vegas:
Why?? Missing me a little too much gorgeous ;) ?

Pete:
🙄

Vegas giggled a bit which looked a bit alienated to Kinn's mind as he stared with horror, "Who got THE Vegas Theerapanyakul smiling and laughing!!??" Vegas rolled his eyes as he judged Kinn from the top to the bottom before commenting, "You didn't see me meddling and asking about your new obsession, Porsche was it? So stay the fuck out of my life. I will think about some solution, we have to stop the madness of our fathers before it is too late to save both our companies." He stood up and exited the conference room with Nop following him.

As he sat in the car, he continued chatting with Vegas as a smile automatically etched on his face.
Guess this pretty man has started to acquire a strong presence in Vegas' life with his dimple smile and pretty eyes.

🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙

End Notes

Gun needs to give his kids a break

Thank you so much for reading <3
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or thoughts <33