Till Our Hearts Cross 👨❤️💋👨 💏

Porsche

I stood silently behind Kinn as he held Vegas in place, the tension between them palpable. I knew Vegas wasn't going to give in easily. He wanted vengeance, and nothing, not even Kinn, was going to stop him from getting it. But Kinn's words were firm, insistent. We needed a plan. We needed Vegas to think, to be patient, and as much as it irked him, it was the only way we could make sure P Thun would pay for what he'd done.

When Kinn finally released his grip, Vegas shot us both a look of pure defiance. "I'm going to the bar. I need some space."

I exchanged a glance with Kinn, who gave me a subtle nod. "Keep an eye on him," Kinn said quietly, but there was an underlying warning in his tone. He didn't need to say anything more.

Vegas didn't look back as he walked away, the sharp click of his boots echoing through the hallway. I followed a few steps behind, careful not to make my presence too obvious. I didn't need to talk to him. He didn't need me to intervene. But I knew better than to let him spiral too far. Vegas was dangerous when he was this far gone, and the last thing we needed was him making reckless decisions while drunk.

The bar wasn't too far, a small, dimly lit place that had become a refuge for people who needed to drown out the noise of the world. Vegas slid onto a stool, ordered a drink with a nonchalant wave, and buried his face in his hands. He wasn't looking for company, not yet. I stayed in the background, nursing a drink of my own, just keeping watch.

By the time Vegas had finished his second drink, I could see it-his calm exterior was starting to crack. His shoulders were tense, but there was a slight tremble in his hands as he gripped his glass. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the weight of everything that had happened that day, but the more he drank, the more he seemed to withdraw into himself. I knew what was coming. I could feel it in the air, the way the room seemed to shrink around him.

Then it happened.

I saw his shoulders slump, and his eyes, usually so cold and controlled, flickered with something softer-something more vulnerable than I'd ever seen before. His breath hitched once, then twice, before his shoulders shook. Vegas, the man who'd been nothing but cold and determined all these years, was breaking down.

I wasn't sure what to do at first. I'd never seen him like this, never seen him so... human. He wasn't the ruthless, untouchable figure I'd always known. This Vegas was... lost. And, despite everything, it made my chest tighten in a way I didn't expect.

I stood up from my stool, my movements slow and deliberate, trying not to startle him. As I approached, he didn't even look up. His face was buried in his hands, his breathing uneven. The bar felt quieter, more intimate now. The weight of the situation pressed down on both of us, but I couldn't just let him crumble like this.

"Vegas..." I said softly, hesitantly.

His head snapped up, his eyes red-rimmed, his gaze almost unrecognizable in its rawness. "What the hell do you want?" His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but I could hear the underlying pain in it. He was still holding on to something-holding on to the anger, the fear, the need for revenge-but it was slipping. And in this moment, I could see just how far he'd fallen.

I took a step closer, unsure of how to reach him. "I'm here," I said quietly, "if you need someone."

Vegas shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him. "You don't want to be here for this." His hands ran through his hair, frustration evident in his movements. "I'm... not who you think I am."

I could feel the distance between us, the walls Vegas had built so carefully over the years. But something inside me, something I couldn't quite name, pushed me forward. I placed a hand on his shoulder, gently, just to ground him.

And for a moment, the tension between us was almost too much to bear.

Vegas froze, his breath catching in his throat. I could see his chest rise and fall in shallow breaths, but he didn't pull away. His body was stiff, like he was afraid to feel anything, afraid to let someone in. But something in the way I touched him, the way my hand lingered, seemed to shift something between us. It wasn't just about comforting him anymore-it felt like more, like the weight of everything unsaid between us was coming to the surface.

I didn't know what I was doing, only that I couldn't leave him like this. My thumb brushed lightly over the fabric of his shirt, the softness of the gesture a contrast to the tension in the air. Vegas' eyes flickered up to mine, something unspoken passing between us. The moment stretched out, heavy, uncertain, but neither of us moved.

And then Vegas exhaled, a long, shaky breath, his gaze softening just slightly. It wasn't much, but it was enough to tell me he was letting go, just for a moment. He wasn't as angry anymore. He wasn't as cold.

The space between us seemed to shrink, and I could feel my heartbeat go faster. The tension was building, but it wasn't anger anymore. It was something else-something I didn't know how to name. I found myself leaning in, just a fraction, closer than I'd ever been before. My mind screamed at me to stop, to pull back, but there was something in the way Vegas' eyes held mine that made everything else seem irrelevant.

The moment felt fragile, like it could break in an instant, but neither of us moved away.

"Thank you," Vegas said, his voice barely above a whisper, but the sincerity in it surprised me. I hadn't expected him to thank me for anything. Not for this. Not for being here. Not for anything.

And yet, in that quiet, shared space, I realized something: this was different. And maybe, just maybe, I wasn't the only one who felt it.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, Vegas' expression shifted, his mask slipping back into place. He cleared his throat, suddenly pulling away, like he couldn't quite handle what was happening between us.

The moment was gone. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. Something unspoken, something that had always been there, was now lingering in the air, unresolved.

I took a step back, giving him space. "I'll be around if you need me."

Vegas nodded, his usual composure returning, but there was a flicker of something softer in his eyes-a look that made my heart skip, that made me wonder just how far this connection between us could really go.