A Thousand Bad Times (So What's Another Time to Me?) ~ A VegasPete AU

Chapter 7

    Pete was counting down the minutes until he could go home again. He thought about just leaving, but Yaai had told him it was important he be there and not get into trouble. Pete decided he would at least leave the crowd and explore the mansion. He could always ask Porsche for information about the announcement later so he could pretend he had heard it.

Pete slipped through a side door and took a set of stairs two at a time, roving to the left and sliding to the right to avoid the staff and bodyguards who opened random doors or held down a position, blocking an area off from the party-goers.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Pete darted into the nearest room. It was a massive and ridiculously extravagant library. Pete had never been much of a reader, but he still liked to judge people based on their collections. He wondered if whoever owned the mansion actually curated it personally or kept a stockpile of random books for the aesthetic.

The room was only dimly lit by wall sconces and an electric fireplace behind a large mahogany desk. Pete wished for a moment he had drunk more than the glass of whiskey he downed quickly at Porsche's insistence. Curling up with a book and a drink to avoid the suffocating crowd sounded like a wonderful idea.

The tip of his nose was starting to tingle, indicating he was buzzed, but not anywhere near not knowing what he was doing.

He cataloged everything in the room he could potentially use as a weapon, even slipping a letter opener into his boot, and set about reading the titles of the books he could see and read.

"Sorry," came a soft voice behind him. Pete was startled and cursed himself for not hearing the door brush softly against the plush carpet as it opened. "I didn't realize someone was in here."

Pete took in the appearance of the intruder quickly as he decided his next move. He looked to be about the same height as Pete, if not just slightly shorter. He had a lithe build. Pete knew he could take him in a fight if he had to. The other man looked young, although it was hard to tell under the mask. Soft hair fell into his face, further obscuring his identity. Something about him felt familiar to Pete, but then again, the alcohol was starting to hit him in full force. It could just be that the man was attractive, and therefore familiar in the way famous statues were.

"Sorry," Pete mumbled, "I shouldn't be in here."

"Me either," Vegas added with a sloppy laugh. "Did you also get dragged to this ridiculous party?"

Pete swallowed. Alarm bells in his head were telling him something wasn't right, but his options were either going back to the loud and pompous party or having a simple conversation with a guy he could take out if he needed to. The anonymity presented Pete with options he would not have taken otherwise.

"Yeah. I don't really like crowds."

"Me either," Vegas replied with a lilt. He was surprised to find something in common with the lovely stranger.

The dim light, the alcohol, and the constant stress they usually carried caught up to both of them. Vegas thought about how Kinn had a boyfriend, while he didn't want to even try and date. That didn't mean he wasn't lonely, or curious. Pete thought about how often Porsche teased him about at least meeting someone casually but he was too obsessed with his target. Pete suddenly wanted to prove that his entire life didn't revolve around Vegas Theerapanyakul just as Vegas decided not to let fear and distrust keep him from having a nice experience with a stranger.

"I saw you, downstairs, you know," Vegas said, moving slowly toward Pete.

Pete, not wanting to get backed into a corner, moved to stand in front of the large desk. "You followed me up here?"