ALEX'S POV
I stepped out onto the balcony, the cool night air hitting my face. I knew I wasn't alone; my instinct is never wrong. Macao came out from the shadows and I smirked, asking for a cigarette just to break the tension. He seemed baffled that I'd sensed him there, I told him that the old instinct from my days as a gang leader never really left me and I head him muttering something about me being narcissistic under his breath. I couldn't help but let out a little laugh—he wasn't entirely wrong, but experience teaches you to keep your guard up.
Then the conversation turned heavy. He asked if what I said earlier was true, and I realized he'd been eavesdropping the whole time. I didn't see any point in lying to him.
"Yeah, it's true," I admitted. Macao was confused, struggling to understand why things were still so complicated between Pete and me after four years. I looked at him, the weight of the situation settling in. I knew exactly why Pete was holding back, I looked at Macao and I didn't want to lie to him so I told him the truth. Pete, He is still not over your brother Macao...Pete won't say it out loud, but I can see it in his eyes every time Vegas is mentioned.
Macao looked panicked, asking what I'd do if they actually got back together. I felt a coldness settle over me, a glimpse of the man I used to be. I told him straight—I'd kill his brother and take Pete away forever. It sounds extreme, but Pete is my world now, the only light I have left.
Macao got defensive, snapping back that I couldn't do that, but he doesn't understand the lengths I'm willing to go to. I've sacrificed everything for Pete, and I'm not about to let anyone, especially a ghost from his past, take him from me.
Watching Macao bristle with fury almost made me laugh; he actually looks a bit cute when he's that worked up. I tried to dial back the tension with a smirk, telling him not to worry—I'm not going to follow through on that threat to kill his brother. The fire in his eyes dimmed into confusion as he asked what I'd actually do if Pete chose Vegas. My answer was simple, though it felt like a lead weight in my chest: I'll just let them be.
It was hard for him to wrap his head around. He asked if I wouldn't even be angry, and of course, I would be—I'd be livid. But the truth is, I love Pete more than my own anger. His happiness is the only thing that matters to me now. If he decides his joy lies with someone else, even if it's Vegas, I won't stand in his way. I'd do anything for him, even if that means walking away and leaving him forever just so he can be happy.
I could feel the sting in my eyes as I said it, the weight of that sacrifice hitting me full force. I took a long, steady puff from my cigarette, trying to swallow the lump in my throat while Macao just stared at me, probably wondering how I could be so selfless—or so stupid. "Because I love him," I whispered, the smoke curling around us in the dark. The conversation was over. I told him it was late and we both needed to get some sleep, heading back inside before the tears I was holding back could finally fall.
MACAO'S POV
I stood there on the balcony, thinking I was being quiet, but Alex caught me immediately. It's annoying how he uses that "former leader" excuse for everything. I couldn't help but mutter that he's a narcissist under my breath, but he just gave me that knowing smirk. I hesitated for a second, the weight of what I'd overheard earlier pressing down on me, before finally asking if what he said was true. He didn't even flinch, just confirmed he knew I'd been eavesdropping the whole time.
It didn't make any sense to me. They've been together for four years, yet there's this massive wall between them. When I pushed him for an answer, he dropped a bombshell: Pete isn't over my brother. My heart skipped a beat. Even if Pete won't admit it, Alex seems so certain. It made me realize just how deep the scars from their past really go, and how much Alex has been quietly enduring while staying by Pete's side.
Then I got scared. I asked him what would happen if Pete and Vegas actually got back together. Alex's voice went cold, and he threatened to kill my brother and take Pete away forever. The anger flared up in me instantly—I wasn't going to let him talk about my family like that. But as I lashed out, he just smiled at my reaction, as if he was testing me or maybe just hiding his own pain behind that smug mask.
I stared at Alex, my blood boiling at his arrogance. He had just finished threatening my brother's life, but then he had the nerve to look at me with a smirk and tell me I looked cute when I was angry. I wanted to lash out, but his demeanor shifted instantly.
He promised he wouldn't actually follow through on the threat, which only left me more confused. If he wasn't going to fight for Pete, then what was he planning to do?
When he told me he'd just let them be, I couldn't believe my ears. I asked him if he wouldn't even be angry, and his answer caught me completely off guard. He admitted he'd be furious, but then he said the one thing I didn't expect: he loves Pete more than his own anger. He stood there, smoke curling from his cigarette, telling me that as long as Pete was happy, he'd do anything—even if it meant leaving him forever.
I looked at him, seeing the tears he was desperately trying to hide behind those puffs of cigarette smoke. I asked him, "but why?" and the simple intensity of his reply, "Because I LOVE HIM," silenced me. He looked so broken yet so certain. He finally told me to go to bed, dismissively saying he was heading in too, leaving me standing there in the dark, reeling from the realization of just how much he was willing to sacrifice for a happiness that didn't include him.
AUTHOR'S POV
In the quiet of the room, Pete sat huddled on the bed, his world collapsing inward as he buried his face against his knees. Every sob that wracked his body carried the weight of a crushing guilt; he felt like a villain in his own life, unable to move on from a past that continued to haunt him. He whispered apologies to the empty air, mourning the pain he was causing Alex, convinced that his inability to heal was making the man he loved suffer.
The atmosphere shifted when a pair of arms suddenly enveloped him, offering a familiar warmth that Pete recognized instantly. Gasping through his tears, he looked up to find Vegas staring back at him, though the comfort of the embrace was sharply contrasted by the fury burning in Vegas's eyes. Vegas thought that Alex was the source of Pete's distress, Vegas's protective instincts flared into a dark, lethal rage. He demanded to know if Alex had been the one to cause these tears, his voice dripping with anger as he moved to hunt the man down.
Panic surged through Pete, overriding his grief as he lunged forward to catch Vegas's hand, anchoring him in place. Through a fresh wave of heavy sobbing, Pete desperately pleaded for him to stop, confessing that the fault lay entirely with himself. He poured out his self-loathing, labeling himself a terrible person who didn't deserve the kindness Alex offered. As he collapsed back into a state of raw, unfiltered heartbreak, the room remained thick with the agonizing realization that his heart was still a battlefield between the man he was with and the man who had just walked through the door.
Vegas tightened his hold on Pete, his voice softening with a desperate kind of sincerity. He couldn't stand to hear Pete tear himself down, insisting that he was, and always would be, a truly good person. As he held him, he gently urged Pete to stop crying, his presence acting as a balm to the younger man's frantic state. Slowly, the heavy sobs began to fade, and Pete finally began to find a fragile sense of calm in Vegas's arms.
Unbeknownst to them, Alex had been standing in the shadows, witnessing the entire heart-wrenching exchange from the moment Vegas burst into the room. Seeing Pete finally settle and find peace—even if it wasn't with him—Alex felt a bittersweet pang in his chest. Realizing his presence was no longer needed to soothe the man he loved, he quietly retreated, slipping back toward the balcony to give them the space they clearly needed.
Standing alone in the cool night air, Alex felt the sting of hot tears finally spilling over, though a sad, knowing smile remained fixed on his face. He was heartbroken, yet relieved to see Pete comforted. His solitude was suddenly broken when he felt a sharp poke from behind. Startled, he quickly wiped his eyes and turned around to see who had followed him out into the darkness
ALEX'S POV
Tears started flowing down my face, hot and stinging, but I couldn't stop that bitter, knowing smile from pulling at my lips. It was a strange kind of relief, seeing Pete finally calm down in someone else's arms, even if it felt like my heart was being slowly crushed.
I stood there in the shadows of the balcony, trying to breathe through the ache, when a sudden poke from behind made me jump. I quickly wiped my eyes and turned around, surprised to see Macao standing there.
"Macao? Why haven't you gone to bed yet?" I asked, my voice thick and forced.
Before I could say another word, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. I froze, caught off guard by the sudden warmth. His voice was soft, cutting through the walls I'd been trying so hard to keep up. He told me I didn't have to keep it all in—that I should just let it out instead of making myself suffer. His kindness was the final blow to my composure. I managed a weak "okay," and the dam finally broke.
I began to sob, the weight of the last four years and the pain of letting go finally pouring out of me. I clung to Macao, burying my face in his shoulder as the grief took hold. He didn't pull away; he just stood there, caressing my hair and murmuring quiet words of comfort to calm me down. In that moment, I wasn't the leader of ACE or a man making a grand sacrifice; I was just someone who was hurting, grateful to not be alone in the dark.