Devour || AU VegasPete Fanfic

Chapter 07: Unfinished Endings and New Beginnings

Pete saw a range of emotions pass through Vegas' eyes at his words before they settled on regret. He opened his mouth to say something but a sharp ringtone cut him short.

They both looked at Vegas' phone ringing on the table. The name written on the caller ID made Pete frown.

Stephen.

Who the fuck was Stephen? Was he an ex from Vegas' time back in the USA?

Pete mentally smacked himself and asked, why do you care?

"Excuse me," Vegas said in a cold tone before picking up his phone and walking outside the restaurant while pressing it to his ear. He didn't come back for the rest of the lunch.

Macau joined Pete after a few minutes and so did the driver, Ken. But Vegas never came back. Pete wanted to ask Macau about him but thought better of it. He didn't want to seem interested even if he was.

"Hia probably has some urgent business to attend to. That's why he had to go. He does it sometimes," Macau said to no one in particular. Could he read Pete's face? Was it really that obvious that Pete had been wondering?

"Father left everything in such a mess when he died. It took Hia years to fix things. Finally, things are somewhat under control. But you know how these families can be. Always trying to have leverage over one another," the younger Theerapanyakul tried to explain.

Pete knew all about that. He lived that life once. Spent every moment with the lingering fear that he could die at any second. Or worse, his loved ones could.

But he didn't say anything. He just merely nodded and let out a weak smile while toying with his untouched food. What was he supposed to say anyway? He didn't know how much Macau was aware of and he didn't want to be the reason why the two brothers had an argument. They both needed each other.

Pete felt his heart sink when the waiter cleared out the main course and served desserts.

Vegas had ordered him two crispy rice cakes glazed with honey. It was the same dessert Pete had offered him in that empty playground all those years ago.

—

If asked, Vegas wouldn't be able to explain why he took the liberty to get Won beat up by his father for the idiot in front of him currently pulling at a push door. What was he hoping to achieve exactly? The door was twice his size for god's sake!

Vegas resisted the urge to snap at the nuisance. Nop had been requested by the new cook to take her grandson shopping for his school accessories. And since Nop had nothing better to do he said yes.

Vegas had some of his own shopping to do. He wanted to buy a new book on violin tutorials and get his teacher, Miss Nue, some chocolates. It wasn't because he was very fond of her. The woman always talked in a sugary voice as if talking to infants. No, Vegas did it because it got him in her good graces. Therefore, got him extra credits and good grades. Good grades meant fewer slaps from his father.

Vegas was slowly losing hope that his father would ever stop hitting him or speak to him nicely. So he had to settle for fewer slaps and snarky looks.

It was funny because his father would boast about his overachiever son to his friends all the time. Vegas knew those compliments he heard about himself while standing next to his dad were lies. Because what father spoke so highly of his son in public and then hit him like that behind closed doors? Vegas felt like his father was complimenting himself rather than his son.