you're the little thing, my saving grace

Chapter 18

"You love me... after all."

"That's not exactly what I said."

"You are just that very Pete."

They are lying face to face on Pete's bed, who has managed to feed Vegas a late dinner. Then they parted for a while, going to their rooms. When Vegas visited him half an hour ago, Pete guessed from the damp ends of his hair that he, too, had just come out of the shower.

They just stared at each other in silence for a while, Vegas stroking his shoulder and arm. And now this overly grown boy is starting to tease him.

"What else do you want to hear from me?"

"I've already heard everything, Pete. And I'm happy that you're here."

"How was the meeting with your father? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, it's fine. Don't think about him."

"I wasn't thinking about him. I was worried about you."

"I know," Vegas moves closer and kisses Pete on the curve of his upper lip, "but you don't have to do this. I always have my little mascot, the amulet that you gave me once."

"The other mafia bosses should have heard," Pete chuckles, "what a sentimental son of Kan Teerapanyakun."

Vegas nudges the tip of his nose with his own:

"Laugh, laugh. You've long surpassed me in sentimentality in moments."

"That's not true," Pete puts his hand on Vegas' side, "I'm just worried about those I care about."

"You worry too much. Sometimes it is necessary to free the mind from worries. After all, stop trying to control things that don't depend on you."

"It's quite hard. Moreover... Actually, if you have your own child, you will understand.

Vegas giggles:

"I would love to make you a mom, but, alas, nature decided otherwise."

"Vegas!"  Pete slaps him on the side. "I don't mean that."

"I won't even go deeper into what you meant. Otherwise you'll start that song again about 'you'll regret it' and blah blah blah."

Pete rolls his eyes.

"I'm serious with you, but you just keep having fun. By the way, when we were under bullets, when I was following you there... at that moment, I wasn't thinking about little Vegas at all. So I'm far from a perfect father. Sometimes it torments me like an unsolvable dilemma: I know I should have thought about the child, about what would have happened to him if I had been killed. But I couldn't close my eyes to the fact that you were in mortal danger either." 

"You're a great dad, Pete. And little Vegas has become very dear to me. I'll do anything for both of you. I'll sacrifice everything."

"I don't want any more sacrifice, Vegas."

They are silent again. Vegas smiles mysteriously without taking his eyes off him, and Pete's left hand moves under the hem of Vegas' T-shirt. The latter raises his eyebrows in surprise, without ceasing to smile: