ivy

Trouble - Javier Peña x Reader

Chapter One: Mixing Business and Pleasure

Chapter Two: Club Foot

Chapter Three: Familiar Face

Chapter Four: Morning Inquisition

This Raining Decade - Young Charlie Barber x OC

Epilogue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich - Loki Laufeyson AU

Chapter One: Homecoming

Chapter Two: The Meeting Place

Chapter Three: Cruel Intentions

Chapter Four - Spoiled

You had only been back in New York for four days and already you felt as though you needed a break away. You knew that following the whole Paris ordeal and the consequential wasting of your fathers money meant that you were in no position to ask for a vacation. So in turn, you had to settle for retail therapy.

Only it wasn't working, you'd already browsed a number of high end stores by noon only to be left feeling flat and bored. When did shopping become so mundane?

That being said, it hadn't stopped you from spending a hefty amount on miscellaneous items, feeling a sort of satisfaction when you swiped your fathers card. Although it did infuriate you that with his income, he wouldn't even notice your expenditure.

It was a Saturday, meaning the mall was swarming with socialites. Private school pupils gathered by the fountains to gossip. The sugar babies of New York's elites seemed to swipe cards everywhere you turned. It was like a playground for the snobs of society, although, you were in no place to judge, as you cast your eyes down to the mass of bags you had accumulated.

Feeling your phone vibrate in your purse, you groaned, eyes scanning for somewhere to sit, settling when you saw a small café nestled in the corner of the floor you were on.

Not even bothering to check the caller ID you answered the phone with a huff, "Hello?"

"Is that anyway to greet your father?" you had to stop yourself form slamming your head against the glass table, why did you even pick up?

"Sorry, what did you need?" you sighed, wanting the call to be as painless as possible.

"Can I not just call my daughter? Why do I need a reason?" his voice was woven with that accusatory tone he always seemed to use. It was one thing you could pinpoint about his personality that was directly caused by the mafia, he was always so on edge, like everyone was after him.

"Of course not." you tried your best not to snap at him, knowing it would anger him further.

"Anyway, I need you to attend a dinner with me tomorrow night."

So he did need something.

"Uh, sure, what's it for?" you made a mental note to ask Sophia if she too would be in attendance.

"Myself, Laufey and his son are meeting to discuss things."

Things. That could mean anything when it came to the mafia. Who they were going to kill next. Who they were going to sue next. Who they were going to employ next. You hated the uncertainty, it only reminded you of how insignificant you were in the grand scheme of things.

It also reminded you that Loki Laufeyson existed.

After the Gala, you had recouped with Sophia and tried to get all the information that she knew about him. She didn't have much to offer, just rumours she had heard from Charles about his past sexual escapades and childish drama, nothing exciting.

He gave you the creeps.

"So why do I have to come?" you tried not to sound as ungrateful as you were, you didn't want to spend three hours in some stuffy conference room.

"I'm sure Laufey will bring his new wife, and Loki is sure to bring a date."

You tired not to outwardly cringe at the thought of being your fathers date, but you also understood your father didn't have time to find a new wife in the span of a day. So, reluctantly you agreed.

Your father gave you the address of the restaurant you'd be going to with the instruction to, "Arrive at seven, sharp." and with that, he hung up on you, goodbyes weren't a common thing between you two.

You threw your phone into your purse with a deep exhale, you wouldn't even have Sophia to make the dinner less painful. You'd suffer alone.

How dramatic of you.

Deciding you'd had enough of browsing, you got up to leave, catching the glare of the workers whose table you had occupied. You slipped a bill on the table and gave them a tight smile, oops.

You wished you could say you got to the exit painlessly, that you left the mall and walked home in the sun with no troubles. But as always, life wasn't kind to you.

First it was the hair, that familiar black that seemed to shine from root to tip. The hair alone wasn't enough to make you question the identity of the stranger walking only a few feet away from you. However, when you caught sight of the black suit and the company of Charles Buckley, you knew it could only be one person. One person who seemed to be everywhere you turned recently. One very annoying person.

Loki Laufeyson.

Thankfully hadn't seen you make a mad scramble for the nearest store, that store of course, being of the lingerie variety. Your thought process was that if you hid out in there for long enough, he was sure to be gone by the time you regained your composure.

But once again, life wasn't kind to you.

You were seeking refuge by the bra section, pretending to be overly interested in a particular style of lace when you felt that low voice in your ear.

"Wouldn't have thought you were the type to wear white." he said, hands dusting over the material of the straps. His voice was in that tone again, the same he had used at the bar only days prior, it was dangerous how seductive he could be with only his voice.

"I'd hope you wouldn't be thinking about me at all, Laufeyson." you feigned disinterest as you began to walk around the store, him hanging around behind you, following your every move.

"At the thought of you darling, I've done a lot more than think." You turned to glare at him, rolling your eyes in defeat when he wore that cocky smirk. He was so full of himself.

"So you've resorted to stalking me now?"

"You do think highly of yourself don't you dear?" he was smiling at your discomfort, still hot on your tail as you wandered through the boutique.

"I don't know, after the Gala I think I'm right to assume you'd try to talk to me again." you picked up a random pair of underwear, noticing the way the clerk was eyeing you and the man behind you, this way you could buy something and get the hell out.

Loki snatched the hanger form you before you'd protest, scanning the underwear, much to your embarrassment, "Red? How cliché." he smirked, you felt your cheeks heat up; whether it be from anger, humiliation, or a healthy mix of the two.

"You're insufferable Loki. I really mean that." you scoffed, retrieving the panties back and storming away.

But of course, Loki was still following you like a lost puppy, a lost puppy you wanted to kick, "I'm wounded, darling. I really thought we were becoming friends."

You turned abruptly, causing Loki to stumble only ever so slightly. "As an asshole once said to me, don't flatter yourself."

"Quoting me, that's bold." you could see he was enjoying this, much to your annoyance, he liked the back and fourth. You however, not so much.

"No Loki, what's bold is you following me around, commenting on my underwear choices, like the matter has anything to do with you." you snapped, anger seeping into your tone as you tried not to raise your voice too much in the middle of a public place.

Loki was silent for a pause, seemingly taking in your words, but of course his pensive face was just a mask for his childishness as he soon replied with a smirk, "Oh but it will, you'll see." you didn't have time to respond before he spoke again, this time checking his watch, "As much as I'd love to stay and chat I have a dinner to plan. I'll see you tomorrow darling."

And then he was gone, as quick as he came, and you were free to groan, aloud this time. Finally alone, you made your way towards the register, where a slightly bemused clerk was already watching you.

"Boyfriend?" she asked, and you had to stop yourself from declaring her fired on the spot.

"No." you said, the harshness of you voice enough to wipe the playful smile off of her face.

"Oh, okay." you watched as her cheeks immediately went a shade of fuchsia, " Will those be all?"

You looked down at the underwear as you handed it to the clerk, eyes immediately darting to the other pair of underwear, the one you knew you hadn't picked up.

You glared at the pair in your hands.

It was certainly more revealing than the other pair you'd picked up. And the colour? A deep emerald green. Not too dissimilar to the shade of the handkerchief that was sitting in that bastards suit jacket.

You left the boutique with one thought, and that was that you wanted to strangle Loki Laufeyson.

Chapter Three - Cruel Intentions 

Walking into the crowded ballroom, Loki couldn't help but wonder what had become of the company. After the sight of the girl on the floor in the hallway, he was concerned just who was being allowed to live comfortably in the association he worked so hard for. Soon it would all change.

"I'd recognise that hair anywhere, Loki Laufeyson." Loki turned to see the face behind the voice, smirking when he saw the face of Charles Buckley.

"Charlie, its been a while." the two embraced, truly Loki was glad to see a familiar face among all the partygoers.

"And whose fault is that?" Charlie smirked with his words. The two retired to the far side of the room, away from prying eyes.

"I had business to attend to." Loki said bluntly, scanning the room. One thing he hadn't missed when away was the pompous side of the Mafia; the parties, the social climbing, the nature of it all was boring to him. At least when he was away he could get away with not attending. Now not so much with his father breathing down his neck.

"Still slaving away for your old man?" Charlie joked, although the humour was lost on Loki as he shot him a glare.

"I have to be prepared for when I take over." Loki said with a hardened voice, to which Charlie only nodded. Loki did a double take when he saw the familiar greying hair, excusing himself from Charlie with a strained voice, "I'll catch up with you later Charles."

Loki made his way to his father, keeping his head down to avoid the unnecessary small talk from members who only seemed to want to talk about how he'd 'grown up' since they last saw him. Of course he had, it had been five years since he even set foot in New York, he wasn't he boy he used to be.

"Father." Loki spoke through a dry throat, it wasn't that he was nervous per se, he rarely got nervous. He just always dreaded conversations with his father, he had a way of making him feel weak, and that was one thing Loki made sure he wasn't — not anymore.

Laufey turned around, his eyebrow arching at the sight of his son, "Loki, glad you could make it." his voice was smooth as he spoke, taking in his sons appearance.

"Of course."

Laufey took a glance around the room before speaking again, "There is something of importance that I need to discuss with you."

Loki's ears seemed to prick up at the statement, staring at his father with a furrowed brow, "What?"

Laufey shook his head as if that answered Loki's question. Only speaking when Loki gave him a glare, "Later, Loki. Enjoy the party."

And with that his father waltzed away in his regal glory; as if the world revolved around him. In a way it did. In a way Laufey was the sun and his minions orbiting around him were the inferior planets.

Still reeling from his fathers words, Loki took to the bar. He didn't want to become sloppy, he only wanted to take the pressure away that was constantly buzzing at his cranium. He felt significantly less tense upon throwing back a third glass of Whiskey. He noticed a presence sidle up beside him, he relaxed upon seeing it was only Charlie.

"You look tense" Loki commented, taking in the way his friend's teeth were grinding.

Charlie shook his head, knocking back a shot of a clear liquid, "It's nothing, lets just say I will never understand the opposite sex."

Loki smirked slightly, "I should have known."

The two men gathered their drinks to turn and face the room. the party was still very much in full effect, if not more so than before. Loki's eyes narrowed however, at the sight of his father with a new companion.

"Charlie," Loki got his slightly inebriated friends attention, "What do you know about that?" he pointed to where his father was discussing something with the man to his left. The two looked deep in conversation, prompting Loki's interest to pique.

"Oh, that's Alexander Ellison." Charlie spoke, gesturing to the bartender for a refill, Loki rolled his eyes in response.

"Yes I am aware of that Charles," the venom in his voice caused Charlie to refrain from drinking, setting the glass down against the wooden bar.

Charlie sighed, "Whilst you were away Ellison seemed to work his way up the rankings, and your father seemed to enjoy having someone to do his bitch work for him."

"What exactly are you saying Charles." Loki snapped, eyes zeroing in on the man laughing beside his father.

"Its not my place to say, its all just rumours."

Loki shot him a glare, he wouldn't be able to get out of this one.

Charlie took a moment to readjust his tie, clearing his throat before speaking, "There are rumours among the caporegime that he is in the running to become Laufey's underboss."

Loki tried to keep his composure, but he found himself speechless. How could his father do this, it was always said Loki would be the one to serve as underboss. His veins burned with anger, this couldn't be right.

But then, why else would his father want to talk to him later?

Loki's nostrils flared with rage the longer he stared at the man — Alexander. Of course, the second Loki was out of the picture his father would go behind his back. He should've seen this coming. He cursed himself for being so foolish. He held his drink with an iron grip, trying desperately not to just shoot the man only a few feet away from him. Oh what Loki would give to watch the blood pour from his skull, him — his competition. He vowed he wouldn't give Laufey the chance to undermine him. Loki needed a plan, one to get rid of Alexander Ellison.

"I see." was all Loki said, taking another sip from his glass.

Charlie had nothing to respond, he was just glad Loki didn't take his anger out on the messenger. Instead, the pair remained silent, watching the party unfold before their eyes.

It was then as if Loki felt a shift in the room, his eyes moved on their own accord, only stopping when they reached their destination. He was only slightly surprised to see the same girl who had made a fool of herself earlier crossing the room. His eyes remained glued on her as she seemed to assess her surroundings, seeking refuge in a friendly face much like he had when he first entered. He smirked slightly when he saw her fail to conceal a grimace.

He knew the feeling all too well.

It was only when Loki saw the direction in which se was heading that the cogs really began turning in his head. The man — Alexander, embraced her, kissing her cheeks. Trophy wife was his first thought but the greeting between them was too awkward. He beckoned Charlie once more.

"Who is she?" he asked, nodding towards the three.

"Her?" Loki only nodded, eyes still fixed on the girl. "That's Ellison's daughter, she's recently come back from Paris, studying or..something, I cant remember."

"How do you know this?"

"Her best friend, Sophia is my.." Charlie began but Loki spared him the awkward fumbling, he didn't care about Charlies relationships.

"I see." Loki said, a smirk curling onto his face. His mind was running rampage with the new information. The daughter of his competition, it was almost too easy.

Corruption was arguably one of Loki's greatest skills, and he knew how to use it to his advantage. A pawn in his game is what he needed, and with you, he had it.

He thanked the gods above at the timing of his father calling him over. Loki put aside his anger for him, he'd come back to it later. For now he was focused on you, he crossed the room to join his father.

"This is my son, Loki." he heard his father speak as he joined the three. The look that crossed your face didn't surprise him, a mixture of shock and annoyance. He couldn't really blame you after your meeting earlier. He didn't think too much of it, he knew ways to make you talk.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Loki took your hand, placing a chaste kiss against the soft skin. He then eyed you up and down. Having you as a part of his game was fun as it was, but it certainly helped that you looked the way you did.

You were beautiful, there was no denying that.

You offered him only a nod in return, mouth still twisted in displeasure. Loki kept his eyes fixed on you, watching as you failed to maintain the contact. It was fun to watch you squirm.

"Loki, I haven't seen you for some time." your father's hand distracted Loki from you, he shook it, albeit with some reluctance.

"And you are?" Loki knew the quip would get him in trouble, but it was worth it to catch the slight smirk you wore upon seeing your father's face drop.

Laufey cleared his throat, "Loki, this is Alexander Ellison, I trust you simply couldn't place the face to the name, correct?" to anyone else the tone of Laufey's voice was smooth, but Loki caught the hidden threat behind his words.

"Ah yes Alexander, I've heard great things about you during my absence." Loki spoke, watching the way the man wore a wounded expression. One thing all men in the mafia shared was their inflated ego's, and it was fun to bruise your fathers.

"I hope it would not be uncouth for me to ask for your daughter to join me for a drink? Purely to welcome her back to New York." Loki watched as your eyes shot to his own, a look of discontent painted across your features.

Alexander seemed to forget you were even to his side, he only offered a nod, placing a hand on your back to gesture for you to join Loki. The hand of your father was quickly replaced by Loki's, but not for long as you instantly shimmied away from then contact when you were out of sight from your father. Together the two of you made your way to the bar.

"What would you like to drink?" Loki asked, watching as you settled into the stool.

"I don't want a drink, and I don't want to sit with you." you spoke, facing forwards, not wanting to even give Loki the satisfaction of looking at him.

"So why did you agree to?"

You scoffed, "I didn't agree, my father did."

"Is there a difference?"

You gave him an incredulous look, "Yes? In case you forgot, let me remind you of how you acted like an asshole within the first minute of meeting me."

"Ah yes, I should apologise for that, it was rude of me." Loki rested an arm on the table to get a better view of you.

You sighed, finally turning to look at Loki, "I don't know what you think you're going to achieve by trying to flirt but I can promise you now, nothing is going to happen."

Loki's eyebrow arched at your words, a wave of rejection rolling off of him, "You think I'm flirting?" his voice was smooth as honey, eyes glistening with mischief, "Don't flatter yourself, like I said, I'm merely welcoming you back to New York."

"How do you know I've been away?" you replied, eyes narrowing the more Loki spoke.

"I know everything darling."

Everything about Loki was smug; his words, his body language, everything about him was a performance.

A performance you didn't want to get involved with.

"Whatever Loki, you don't scare me." you sighed, turning back to face forward, you couldn't stand how attractive he was even when he was being a dick.

Loki rose to his feet, bending a few inches so that his mouth was mere millimetres away from your ear. You couldn't hide the way you froze at his proximity.

"Oh but you should be scared of me, I have a feeling were gong to be seeing a lot more of each other. I think it would be wise for you to put aside your reluctance towards me," he pulled away momentarily to reach for a flute of champagne sitting on a silver tray, placing the drink directly in front of you.

"Enjoy the rest of your night, darling."

Chapter Two - The Meeting Place

After your brunch with your father (which also constituted as a verbal beating) you were seriously doubting your prior statement about not drinking. Sure, it would just give your dad more ammunition if you made a fool of yourself, but you were so far past the point of caring that the threat didn't bother you.

You closed the door to your apartment, resisting the urge to slide down against it and wallow in your sadness. However, the sight of Sophia's head sticking out from behind your fridge made you second guess your options.

Noticing your dejected expression, Sophia gave you a sympathetic pout, "That bad huh?"

You sighed, shrugging your coat off, taking a spot on your sofa, Sophia hot on your tail. "I don't know what was worse, when we were silent or when we were having a verbal sparring match." You rubbed your temples, "Oh! And he didn't ask about Paris once."

"I wish I could say I'm surprised, but we are talking about the same man who literally never remembers your birthday," Sophia smirked slightly, however it contorted to a grimace when she saw you narrowing your eyes at her. "Not helping, noted."

You made a noise which was somewhere between a sigh and a groan, "I hate him." you let the statement hang in the air, Sophia was used to your rants about your father at this point. Her father was in a similar position to your own, albeit further down the mafia ladder, so she understood.

"Tonight, we are going to look hot, we are going to get drunk, and we are going to get fucked. Seriously."

Sophia smiled at your words, "I like the sound of that." she paused for a second, "Is that a really a good idea though?"

"Probably not" You huffed, "I mean there's a sick part of me that wants to embarrass my father just for fun, but that means I also make an ass of myself just by association."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Sophia added, to which you gave her a side a thump with your leg.

I mean you try and steal a Basquiat painting from a Mafia wedding when your high one time.

"Whatever, I'll just have to see how it goes." you shrugged checking your phone quickly, "It's already five now.

"In that case, I'll get the wine."

By the time seven rolled around you were fairly tipsy, and you and Sophia were staring intently at yourselves in your hallway mirror. You turned in your gown, admiring the way it clung to your curves and hugged your cleavage nicely — you felt good, and looked even better.

"If there aren't any hot people there tonight, I will be taking you home." Sophia joked as she lay her head on your shoulder. You laughed, looking at the two of you in your reflection.

"I'm sure Charlie will be there, wouldn't be the first time this week you've slid into his bed."

Sophia's mouth gaped in shock before she slapped your arm, "You're a bitch. And I hate you." Her face contradicted her words as she fought back a laugh. Your laughter died when you heard your phone buzz from your clutch.

"Driver's here."

As far as Mafia's went, Asgard Industries was the one in New York with the most notoriety by far. The chain itself branched off all across America and as top secret as it was, more often than not your lifestyle would be branded across the Media as one of the most dangerous organisations in the world.

At times however, it didn't even feel like you were part of one of the most illegal chains in the world, purely due to the sheer elegance of it all.

The ballroom for tonight was no exception, high ceilings decked out in the finest decor. In your tipsy state, you kept your head facing up, staring as the dazzling light projections burst into kaleidoscopes of colour. Your mouth was agape in awe. Did it make you a bad person to love this side of the Mafia?

Probably.

You and Sophia had separated only ten minutes ago. She insisted she wanted to find her father but soon, whilst on your wander, you caught her and Charlie hand in hand, walking towards the bathroom. You fought the urge to cheer at her, but knowing it would dampen their moment you bit your tongue.

Now you were left to your own devices. You hadn't seen your father yet, thank god. You were trying to prolong that meeting for as long as possible.

You were now roaming one of the buildings corridors — flask in hand. You tried to ignore the creeping feeling of loneliness as you patrolled the marble floors. You could hear the party in the next room. You knew if you wanted you could be in there, socialising and whatnot.

So why was it that you were here, sinking to the floor in defeat as you guzzled the remainder of your vodka?

You cursed yourself for being so pathetic, you could have everything you wanted at your finger tips, so why did you feel so hollow?

Of course, it was at this point in your little pity party that you heard footsteps coming from around the corner. Despite how unladylike you appeared, you couldn't bring yourself to care, remaining slumped down against the wall like a drunk.

You didn't even open your eyes when you heard the footsteps stop in front of you.

"Do I need to call security?"

The voice, deep and clear rang in your ears. Slowly you opened your eyes. The man before you was nothing short of a Greek God; thick black hair falling in waves around his shoulder like Hades. His hair sat on a hardened face, chiselled in a way that would make even Prometheus envious.

And his eyes, you couldn't even tell what shade they're were from your position on the floor. From what you could see however, his eyes were swirls of deep emerald embedded in a lake of blue.

He was beautiful.

And you were...on the floor.

His face only hardened at your words, looking down at you he spoke, "Do you have no respect for your superiors?"

Your mouth dropped momentarily at the sheer audacity of the man. You weren't sure who he thought he was, but he sure as hell wasn't gaining any of your respect.

Pushing yourself from the floor, you stood toe to toe with the man, his steely expression never changing as you looked up at him.

"Excuse me?" you asked, bewildered at his statement.

He offered no explanation, only moved slightly to the right, separating the two of you.

He smirked briefly, the expression quickly morphing into a more unfriendly one. "You're excused."

You were left to watch as the man walked away from you, his shoes tapping against the marble as he left. You were speechless, what an asshole.

After having a few minutes to collect yourself and the shock of being talked to like dirt, you decided to try and find Sophia. That was, if her and Charlie were done with their bathroom rendezvous.

You entered the ballroom once again, eyes darting around the room in search of Sophia. It was useless, the room was packed. Defeated, you decided to cut your losses, you’d find her eventually.

“Drink, Miss?” a bartender holding a tray of champagne approached you. You nodded with a small smile, downing one flute and setting it down, before reaching for a second.

“Thank you.” you smiled, the alcohol leaving a warmth to you. The bartender, slightly unnerved by your display gave you a tight smile as they walked away.

Drink in hand, you crossed the room, sighing relief when you caught sight of Sophia and Charlie bickering at each other. Alas, some normalcy amongst the weirdness of the night. You began to make your way over to the pair when you heard your name being called form behind you. Groaning, you span on your heels.

“Dad.” you put on your fakest smile as you approached him. The two of you had unknowingly practiced this facade for years now. Act like a loving father in public, then treat you like a ghost the moment the two of you were alone.

“Hello darling” he gave you a forced smile as he embraced you in a hug, pecking your cheeks.

The man to his left said your name in greeting, holding a hand to you, “I’ve heard a lot about you dear. You’ve just come back from Paris, is that correct?”

It was rare to see him at a function, usually the higher the authority in the Mafia meant it would be too dangerous to be seen in public. Although, due to the party being for his son, you guessed he made an exception.

“Correct.” you chose to keep your answers short, you knew your place.

As old-fashioned as it was, the women of the Mafia were treated as property; you were either a trophy wife or a trophy wife in the making.

“Business or pleasure?” he asked with a snide grin, sending chills up your spine.

“Business, I was studying abroad.”

“How interesting.” all his words were slimy, the words slipping from his tongue with a certain element of venom, regardless of how mundane the conversation was. “My son has also been travelling, I’m sure he’d be delighted to meet you.”

He didn’t give you chance to respond before you saw him turn to something, beckoning them over with his hand.

And low and fucking behold. You saw who starts to walk towards him. The guy from earlier — no, the asshole from earlier.

Chapter One - Homecoming

Dark swirls of red echoed around Loki's mind, images of angels and devils dancing in his dreams as he slept. There was a particular image he kept picturing, for a few nights now he had been seeing someone. A girl — If she could even be called that, Loki would've rather called her a succubus with the way she entranced him, only to leave him in a cold sweat when he woke up, gasping and wide eyed in the dark room of his hotel.

He tried to put these dreams to one side, not thinking much of it. He'd suffered nightmares far worse.

It took him a moment to get his bearings, staring out the large window as the sun began to show itself through soft clouds. He then focused on the clock situated to the right of him, he took in the time with a sigh.

It was time to go home.

Feeling a warmth on your skin, your eyes began to flutter under the light, gently pulling you from your slumber. The warmth felt on your skin was from the sun, which shone through the blinds and cast your entire room in a golden glow. You had missed this part of New York, going to sleep with the bustling city as your background noise, the twinkling of lights the last thing you saw as sleep overtook you. Paris had been fun, but deep down, you knew you were always going to be a New Yorker at heart, take that as you will.

Upon checking your phone, you weren't shocked to see that half the day had already passed. This certainly wasn't irregular for you, but the impromptu night of drinking proposed by your best friend certainly hadn't helped the matter of your laziness. You cradled you head in your hands, your headache a harsh reminder of how much you had drank last night.

You didn't regret it, hell, your return to New York was sure to be celebrated. Although, when you took another glance at your phone, noting the four missed calls from your father, you questioned whether the extra bottle of Cîroc really had been worth the hassle.

You sighed before calling him back, it only rang for about four seconds before the stern voice was booming into your already sensitive ears.

"Where the hell are you?"

Warm welcome as always. "Hi Dad."

"We had reservations for twelve. Now, I'll ask again, where the hell are you?" he had his business voice on, the one he used when somebody had fucked up and he had to assert his dominance over them.

Shit. You had completely forgot that you had agreed to meeting for brunch. In all honestly, you had only agreed so you could get off the phone quicker.

"Oh, I'm on my way. There's traffic."

You heard a muffled sigh, you could picture your Dads face, etched with frustration as he ran a hand over his face. All because of you, the eternal disappointment.

"Hurry." was all he said before you were met with silence.

Typical.

You arrived at The Alfheim only a half hour after your lovely phone call with your father. Although as you approached the table, the sight of your father deep in concentration staring at is phone made you just want to turn around and cut your losses. You took a moment to watch him, weighing up your options. Surely telling him you got into a car crash and couldn't make brunch was probably a tad too dramatic...right?

"Sit down." he didn't even look up to address you, you only huffed as you took a seat opposite him. No imaginary car crash for you.

You watched as he pulled a face of discontent before putting his phone down. Looking you over finally, his prior expression only seemed to intensify as he tutted under his breath.

"Traffic my ass. If you were planning on being hungover for this brunch, you should have just not come at all." he reprimanded you like a child, which wasn't too dissimilar to how he always treated you.

You fought the urge to roll your eyes, but you knew that would only prove his point of you being childish. Instead you chose to nibble at the inside of your cheek, holding back on saying something spiteful, you didn't want a full fledged argument when you had only woken up an hour ago. "I'm not hungover, me and Sophia just went out for a late dinner after the flight. You know, to celebrate me coming home." you couldn't help the sullen look which cast over your face, you had been gone for four months.

To your father, it didn't matter, you were only an inconvenience to him.

"Look at me." anger laced his tone and you begrudgingly lifted your eyes from the table to look at his face. "Do you think I'm some kind of idiot?" he spat.

If you were nibbling at the inside of your cheek earlier, it was fair to say you could taste the familiar metallic pang of blood now. Yes, you did think he was an idiot. You chose to only shake your head at his words

"Did you forget who's card gets charged with all the shit you buy?"

Oh, you guess you should've seen it coming.

"I'm sure you enjoyed the three bottles of tequila with your late lunch, right? I hope Sophia enjoyed wasting my money too." he sniped, only stopping as the waiter approached your table. You were left biting down bitter words of resentment as you drowned out the sounded of your father ordering the two of you food.

God you really were a child, twenty one years old and you couldn't even be trusted to order your own food, let alone buy your own things. You tried to not focus on the thought too much, it was too deep for what was supposed to be a easy brunch.

"We have a function to attend tonight, I expect you to be there." his attention was pulled back towards his phone, though you weren't focused on that, you instead perked up slightly at his words.

"A party?" you asked hopefully. Whilst you were in Paris, you had to admit you had missed the debauchery of Mafia parties. The excessive nature of the gatherings were otherworldly, and everyone always attended looking like they bathed in gold; you being no exception. You wanted a party, an excuse to get all dressed up, it was one of the only things you enjoyed in the life you had.

Christ, you sounded sad.

"Sort of. It's to celebrate the return of Laufey's boy."

"I didn't know he had a son." you picked at your cuticles, not overly interested in the topic. How come he got a welcome home party?

"Yes you do. I've mentioned Loki before." he certainly hadn't, but you knew better than to go against him. So you just nodded. This was the last of the conversation between the two of you, your father now fully consumed in his phone, you took to your own.

Y: You awake?

S: Barely. I ended up at Charlie's. Don't ask.

You rolled your eyes a little at Sophia's text. Charlie being in reference to her on again off again boyfriend who she had conveniently told you she was 'completely over' last night.

Y: Fair enough, do you know about the function tonight?

S: Yep, I don't know if I can handle another night of drinking though

Y: Same, but I feel like we always say that

S: True. Answer your door I'm outside

Y: Oh, I'm with my Dad, the code hasn't changed though, I wont be long

S: Sheesh, bet that's fun

You suppressed a laugh before sneakily snapping a photo of your dad consumed in his phone, his brow furrowed as he stared at the screen. You smirked before sending it to Sophia.

S: You know what they say, a picture says a thousand words

S: And this one says, 'Your dad's a dick'

You let out a quiet laugh, fighting the urge to correct her on her misquoting the phrase.

You caught a glimpse of the waiter and put your phone back in your bag. Thanking the waiter you and your father were launched into a silent meal. You scanned the restaurant, watching as all types of people ate and conversed with each other. You turned back to your salad, pushing it around with a dissatisfied pout.

—MAYA HAD DECIDED THAT UPON RETURNING to her directing class she would be prompt, on the off chance she'd catch a sight of her new friend, Charlie Barber. Well, friend was a stretch she was sure, he most likely was just annoyed by her constant chatting. If he was, however, he didn't show it. Through the whole lecture they'd whisper short sentences whilst staring straight forward, their conversations weren't intellectual in any way, but the knowledge of it being a sign of their 'inattentiveness' as their lecturer had put it was enough to make Maya smile.

Wandering through the doors to the auditorium, Maya wasn't shocked to see that the auditorium seats were far less full then they were on opening day, in fact, she almost laughed out loud at the sight of all the empty chairs. Just as she had assumed, many only took the class as an attempt to gain extra credentials, not realising that — shocker! the class required actual effort, who would have thought from a college class?

Maya was pulled from her thoughts when she caught sight of that familiarly large boy at the back of the theatre room. He hadn't seen her yet, far too engrossed in whatever he was reading. If Charlie could have seen her though, he would seen the way she almost lit up at the sight of her new friend — feet speeding to catch up with her legs as she made her way to the back of the rows.

Maya had taken her seat next to Charlie and was waiting for his greeting, although it seemed as if he was in another world entirely. His hand rested against his chin as he hunched over, eyes darting along inked pages. Maya watched in amazement as he just seemed to be completely unaware of his surroundings, it was fascinating, the way he immersed himself fully in his book.

"As interesting as this is to watch, I need some human interaction, I haven't spoke all morning." she tapped on his shoulder, not failing to see the way his muscles constricted against his button up, jolting back in surprise.

Charlie jumped back in his seat, disregarding his book which had fallen between his legs. He gave Maya a confused glance, wondering how he failed to hear her footsteps or even take in her presence next to him. "How long have you been sat there?" he asked, his confused glare softening slightly.

Maya shrugged, checking her watch in jest, "Four hours, give or take. Must be some book huh?" she joked, retrieving it from the carpeted floor. She scanned over the cover, taking in its well-loved exterior. "Hm 'The End of the Affair'. Guessing its about a happily married couple?"

At that, Charlie cracked a smile, taking the book back from his companion, "That's not as inaccurate as you think it is." he placed the book back in the confides of his satchel that lay at his feet. "Also, Hi? I haven't said that yet."

"You haven't! That's no way to treat the only other member of your club, Charlie." Maya gave a faux pout before returning her soft smile to her lips, "But Hey, how's your morning been?"

"Our club is well and truly finished after our last meeting got interrupted." Charlie smiled at the memory, "It was good though, I got some news, how was yours?" Charlie had turned his body around fully to take in the girl curled on the chair beside him.

"Well, it was a lousy club anyways." she smiled before continuing, "But meh, boring thus far. And you mentioned news? Is that good news or bad news?"

"Good. I think." Charlie made a face; one that read as equal parts insecure and excited, "I kind of got an apprenticeship of sorts." he looked up to Maya, trying to gauge her reaction.

He didn't know why he was so nervous, probably because she was the first person he was telling. Not that there was anyone else to tell the news to in Charlie's life as of late.

"Charlie!" Maya's eyes lit up, despite only knowing the boy for less than four hours in total, she felt like it was sort of acceptable to reach in for a side hug. It was sort of awkward, what with their bodies both in uncomfortable chairs. But, Charlie was grateful nonetheless, more so for what the hug signified to him.

Someone was proud of Charlie Barber.

"That's amazing Charlie!" she beamed as they pulled away, Maya couldn't help but smirk at the soft red hue coating Charlies cheeks. "I have so many questions! Who for? What will you be doing? Where—"

Maya's limitless questions wouldn't see the light of day though, for a stern clearing of a throat was heard behind her. For a second time she was greeted with the less than impressed expression on their professors face.

"Can this discussion take place after class, Ms. Hudson? Or are you and Mr Barber insistent on wasting more of my teaching time?"

Before Maya could apologise, she heard Charlie's deep voice form beside her, "Professor, with all due respect, it was me who provoked Ms. Hudson, sorry for disrupting you" Maya swore she felt her heart shake a little in her chest at Charlie trying to take the blame.

It was like the two of them were kids on a playground not young adults in a lecture. Still, with a shake of his head the Professor let them be, not without muttering a low, "Whatever." under his breath as he walked away. Maya turned to face Charlie as the lecture began.

"What are you doing after this class?" she asked, hopeful eyes looking up at him through the darkness of the theatre room.

"Nothing, why?" their whispers were barely audible as their faces were almost too close together, only the two could hear each other amongst the small groups of pupils.

Maya sighed with relief, "I'm going to take you out."

Charlies brows furrowed at her words, "Where?" he leaned in, his mouth closer to her ear to ensure she could hear him. Although, he couldn't deny her scent was making his head spin slightly, it was sweet, like honey, a stark contrast amongst the stuffy auditorium air.

Maya didn't answer, only pulling away with a smirk, leaving Charlie bewildered to what's he had in store for the two of them. He turned back to the front of the room, head swimming as he tried to recall what the professor was saying.

Two hours of the Professor droning on about nothing in particular was a test to Charlies patience. He was nothing short of relieved when the class was finally dismissed. Safe to say he had found it hard to concentrate with the looming thoughts of his and Maya's ventures after class.

Packing up her belongings, Maya turned to Charlie, "Well, that was painful."

Charlie shot her a tight smile, silently agreeing with her as he reached for his bag. "So," he began, wanting nothing more than to question where she was about to drag him. Charlie didn't like surprises.

Maya however, had a penchant for them, "if you're gonna ask me where were going, don't expect an answer. You're lucky you get to see your surroundings, if it were up to me I'd have you blindfolded all the way there."

"Consider me intrigued." was all Charlie replied as he followed the footsteps of the girl that was charging out of the classroom doors before him.

"A bar, really?" Charlie had to stifle a groan at the sight of the building. It wasn't that he was opposed to them, if anything it was the opposite. However, he couldn't ignore the fact that he had probably acted his most embarrassing in establishments very similar to the one they were currently staring up at. The words 'The Solstice' emblazoned in neon lettering just above them, casting the pair in a red hue.

"Don't be so boring, we have news to celebrate!" Maya pulled at Charlie's arm but his large exterior made it impossible for her to budge him even a little. She huffed before situating herself in front of him, watching the way his eyes darted from the bar to her face.

"And we cant celebrate in a quieter setting?" Charlie cursed the class they had just attended for being a night one, he wasn't able to use the excuse of it being too early. Although, he wouldn't be surprised if Maya had thought up the same idea even if it was an early class.

"Fine, if you really want to celebrate the best news your probably gonna receive for the next five years with a cup of coffee and stale pizza, that's fine." Maya held her hands up in defeat, although the way her words were woven with sarcasm didn't fall on deaf ears.

Waking up next to Javier for the second time was much less tranquil than the last. First it was his blaring alarm clock that happened to be situated right next to your head. When you asked why he chose to deafen you at six in the morning he just claimed that having to reach over to turn it off made him wake up.

Next it was his insistent need to sing for the whole time it took him to get ready. In the shower it was fine, maybe even cute. But by the time he was pulling on his belt and had finished singing what must have been a whole album with bonus tracks — you wanted to strangle him.

When you finally decided you'd had enough of lounging about listening to Javier's butchering of popular songs, you stumbled less than gracefully into the kitchen, where the smug bastard was sat smirking at you with a coffee in hand.

"I hate you" you grumbled, reaching for his coffee. Apparently not fast enough in your sleepy state as before you knew it Javier had you by the arm and positioned you on his thigh.

"Hey, now you weren't saying that last night" he mumbled into your neck, planting light pecks on the bruised skin.

"Funny" you narrowed your eyes at him, he ignored your warning glare instead sending you a cheesy grin.

"You're mean in the morning" he shot you an overexaggerated pout.

"Hm, very cute" you took another sip of his coffee, "When do you have to go to work?"

"Depends. What's the time now" he tapped your leg with he arm that was wrapped around your waist, urging you to check his watch.

"Nearly nine"

"I'll leave soon" he nodded to himself, reaching for his coffee nestled in your arms, to which you shooed him away.

"So...speaking of work" you began, "Wanna tell me who you work for? Or maybe why you were there last night? Or how about-"

Javier cut off your questions with a calloused finger to your lips, "Too early." he groaned into your ear. To this you rolled your eyes, pulling his finger away from your mouth.

"Too early my ass, if anything, you've been annoyingly joyful all morning." you huffed in frustration, "I mean this is the second time I've been here and I've only just learnt your second name. I think I'm entitled to ask a few questions, Javier."

He reluctantly pulled away from where he'd situated himself in the crook of your neck, "I work for the DEA." was all he said, as if that answered all of your questions. You looked at him expectantly until you gathered he wasn't going to elaborate.

"Drugs?" you asked with a raised eyebrow, to which he nodded. "Okay, but that doesn't explain why you were there last night."

"The men in the bar were suspects, I thought Murphy would've told you." you shook your head, urging him to continue, "They had ties to the drug trade, that's what we — me and Murphy deal with."

You nodded at the new information, you narrowed your eyes as a thought came to your head. You were nervous to vocalise it, for fear Javier would laugh at you, But the way he was looking at you told you he was curious as to what was going on inside your head.

"Did what happened last night have anything to do with Pablo Escobar?"

Javier's head jolted back at your words, eyes scanning the expanse of your features, "What do you know about Escobar?" his tone was slightly harsher than before, but not enough to intimidate you.

His tone alone though, was enough to confirm your suspicions. This did had something to do with Pablo Escobar. That complicated things. Massively. How could you tell the DEA agent who you had hooked up several times with, that Pablo had been a regular member at the club you worked at. You had served him, hell you'd even go as far as to say, you befriended him. Sure, you had known he was involved in shady stuff but he had always gone out of his way to look out for you, whether it be generous tips, protection or ahem — party favours, so you'd never payed it any attention.

Javier said your name, snapping you out of your rampaging thoughts. "Nothing." Javier wasn't convinced by you, and you couldn't blame him. Still, you scrambled to cover your tracks, "Just that" you sighed, "I've overheard conspiracies involving him and the Narcos in the club, that's all." you gave him a tight smile, one that you were sure he'd question. And he probably would've, if not for the phone ringing and interrupting the borderline interrogation he was giving you.

He lifted you up from his lap, making his way to the phone. "Yeah?" he asked down the receiver, distracted by the way you were curled up on his chair, flicking through the paper and drinking his coffee. He seemed to be getting distracted by you an awful lot recently.

"I don't even get a Hello?" he recognised the voice straight away.

"Murphy, what's up?"

"Oh nothing, just that I need a little favour," his sarcasm was not lost on Javier who was rolling his eyes at Murphy's tone, "And, that little favour happens to probably be tucked away in your bed as we speak."

Oh, so that's what this was. Javier had to admit, he hadn't acted the most professional last night upon seeing you flirt with Murphy, but he had to give kudos to the guy for picking up on it. Or Murphy could've not payed attention to any of that and just saw the way you and him looked at each other and put two and two together.

"Wrong" was all Javier said.

"Oh?" he could basically see the smirk on Murphy's face.

Turning away slightly from where you were absorbed in the pages of a newspaper, Javier lowered his tone, as if that would help the fact you were only a few feet away from him.

"Reading the paper at my table as we speak, actually" Javier corrected, his words reduced to whispers.

"So I wasn't wrong to have my suspicions?" Murphy teased, aware of how far he could push his luck before Javier hung up on him.

"Get to the point, Murphy" Javier sniped, turning back towards you now.

"We need you to bring her in, routine check up after last night."

Javier nodded, although he couldn't help his mind from reminding him of your shaky answers to his questions about Escobar. No, you wouldn't be mixed up with that. You couldn't be.

"Are you sure its just a check up? She doesn't have to be questioned or anything, right?" Javier was aware of how suspicious he sounded, but couldn't help himself.

"Why would we need to question her Peña?" Murphy asked, his tone slightly curious.

Javier shook his head, "You're right, she doesn't need to." he paused for a second before carrying on, "I'll bring her in now."

With that, Javier hung the phone up. He took his time striding over to you, sat at the table still swaddled in his dress shirt from the night before. He took his time appreciating you, pulling your hair to one side before bending down to plant soft kisses onto the bruised skin. You sighed into the warmth, finally distracted from your reading.

"What did I do to deserve this?" you joked, eyes closing in bliss as Javier sucked a particularly tender spot.

"You have to do me a favour." at his words you turned to face him better, raising a playful eyebrow. He only grinned before continuing, "Not those kind of favours, you've done enough of those."

"I beg to differ." you smirked, reaching down to palm him through his jeans, unknowingly proving his early thought process.

You were a distraction to him; albeit a beautiful one, but a distraction nonetheless. He couldn't even remember what he needed to ask you with the way you were touching him.

"Later." he bit back a groan, nudging your hand away, "I need you to get changed, you're coming down to the station."

You furrowed your brows slightly, but understood why you would need to. With all the attention Javier was giving you, it made it pretty easy to forget that last night you were involved in a crime scene and had subsequently become temporarily unemployed because of it. You made a mental note to call Sebastian and ask about what his plan was for the future.

"How long do I have?" you asked, taking in your appearance in his kitchen mirror. You looked like you had been dragged through a hedge backwards.

You could thank Javier and his little hair pulling bit for that.

Javier checked his watch, "Ten minutes."

Taking another once over in the mirror, you sighed. You sure did have your work cut out for you. "I hate you Javier Peña." you jokingly chided, sticking your tongue out at him as you made your way to his bedroom.

Javier only gave you a shit-eating grin in return, rushing over to quickly swarm you with ravenous kisses, ignoring your protests.

-RUSHING THROUGH THE DOORS of a bustling auditorium, Maya grasped her books close to her chest. It was never her intention to sleep in on her last first day, but she was a creature of habit, and her new habit apparently, was sleeping for ten hours at any given time. The chairs were quickly filling up, and Maya thanked her genes for the blessing of long legs as she strode towards the back row of seats, not wanting to be centre of attention. She sighed with relief upon noticing an empty chair, although she failed to even notice the boy sitting just a few seats down

Charlie was settled well before his peers were even in the campus building, he'd taken the liberty of speaking to the professor early, making up some mindless question to use as an excuse to take a seat prematurely. He was settled, that was until he noticed someone - a girl, rushing through the doors on the far left side of the room. She moved with an air of panic, a drama major no doubt from the way she flailed her limbs about, eyes darting manically across the room.

Oh no, no, anywhere else please...

It was too late, the girl had sat down, thankfully a few seats to his left. Although now Charlie felt he was ultra aware of his surroundings. He thought surely, in a room full of big personality's and even bigger egos he'd be safe in his seclusion at the back of the classroom. Apparently not. He was glad the girl didn't try and make small talk, yes, they could just coexist in silence and then he could pay attention to the lecture. It would probably only be going over the syllabus anyways, but he was keen to listen nonetheless. That was until he heard the girl next to him clear her throat.

Great.

"I hope you don't mind me invading your row." she gave him a small smile, upon first impression Charlie could tell she did this a lot; spoke to strangers that is, he couldn't imagine having the confidence to just strike up a conversation like that. Definitely a drama major.

He gave a quick once over his shoulder to check that he was, in fact, the only person on the row, wanting to avoid any awkward encounters that would haunt him for the rest of the year. "Oh, don't worry about it." he kept a tight smile on his lips, waving his hand in dismissal.

"I've sort of learned over time that the back row is the safest." Charlie was surprised to see her carry on the conversation from his blunt response. He gave a small smile at that, not sure what to say next. Although he didn't have time to fret as she continued her train of though.

"One time, I sat in the front for this class, I was only auditing but I swear the whole row acted like I had infiltrated a secret club or something," she paused to let a soft laugh pass through her lips, "Sorry for boring you with my anecdote, I remembered it being funnier than that." she laughed again, this time echoed by Charlie, only softly under his breath, at her humility more than anything.

"Don't worry about it." he repeated his prior words, "You're safe, I promise there's no secret club back here. If there was, it would be a pretty lame club with only me." he huffed a laugh, attention turning to the pen idly spinning in his fingers.

"Well, I'm sure we can start our own secret club. That is, if you allow me to join your one man club?" she smiled, Charlie looked over to her briefly, the same small smile etched on his face.

"I guess I have room to expand." he shrugged.

"Great! So what shall we christen this club?" before Charlie had time to respond he caught sight of the professor behind where his new companion was twisted to face him.

"How about the inattentive club?" the stern voice made Maya jump as she turned to face the perpetrator, eyes widening when she saw the look on her professors face. Thankfully, her shocked expression was enough to garner her only a disapproving glance and the handing of two syllabus papers. She watched, face burning in embarrassment as her professor walked away, shaking his head.

Charlie couldn't fight the quiet laughs seeping through his lips as he took in the girls face. She only rolled her eyes at the sound of his laughter, shimmying over seats to take the one residing next to his own. His breath hitched slightly as he watched her come closer, snapping out of it when he was playfully hit with the folded up paper.

"Not funny." she said, although she failed to hide the smirk that crept onto her face at the mortifying encounter.

"Sorry." Charlie managed to quell his laughter, thanking the unnamed girl on his left as she handed him one of the two syllabus pages in her hand.

Gaining a little confidence, he decided to introduce himself, holding out a friendly hand as he spoke. "I'm Charlie, Charlie Barber." he watched as the girl looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes. She took his hand in hers, shaking it firmly as she returned his greeting with a smile, one which warmed Charlie's bones for a split second.

- THIS RAINING DECADE Maya was never one for happy endings. Ever since she was sitting in an itchy princess costume on the floor of linoleum, listening to the words only a children's fairy tale could hold. She didn't care for the boring resolutions all her hero's would retire to. The husband and three children all smiling into the sunset. It was all phony. Maya Hudson wanted more. More adventure, more fun, more mischief anything if it kept her feeling alive.

Charlie was big on happy endings. He could long recall holding onto the final pages of worn out classics, relishing the warmth he felt as he lived through the character she read about. It was escapism, sure, but it provided a sense of comfort from the less than comforting confides of his childhood home. Charlie Barber wanted it, the happy ending that is, he craved it deeply in his bones. One day, he promised himself, staring into the dark sky all those years ago, he'd let himself have it. One day.

                                     ━━✶━━

    “I’D LIKE TO STAY IN THIS MOMENT

FOREVER, KEEP IT IN MY MIND,

TO DUST OFF WHEN

I’M OLD AND GREY

━━✶━━

"Murphy"

You couldn't hide the shock on your face when you turned to see Javier, your jaw was practically hanging on the floor. If Javier was shocked to see you, he didn't show it. His face was stoic as ever and he practically looked straight past you as he approached you and Steve. If you weren't so in shock maybe you'd feel a little hurt.

"What the hell happened?" Javier asked, looking over the newly ravaged Club Oracle, what a coincidence that only mere weeks ago he was sitting in there.

"We’re thinking its one of Escobar's mules, took him out before things could get too heavy" Steve replied, gesturing to one of the body bags you'd failed to see upon your exit, your body shivered at the thought of who was inside.

"Won’t that put a target on our backs?" Javier asked, he had his back firmly to you, blocking you out.

Asshole.

"What a bigger one than we've got already?" Steve replied, before turning to gesture to you, he introduced you to Javier, telling him your name as if he hadn't been moaning it upon your last visit.

You shook Javier's hand as he told you his name. Looked like he was choosing to feign ignorance over behaving like a normal adult.

"She pretty much operated the whole thing, told her she should be working for us" Steve joked, nudging your shoulder, you just laughed.

"In that case, thanks for making our job easier" Javier added, you sent him a look, narrowing your eyes, enjoying the way he squirmed under your gaze.

"My pleasure" you nodded.

"One more time" Steve began, looking at you with kind eyes, "Are you sure you don't need a medic?"

You smiled, grateful for his hospitality, "I'm good, thank you Agent Murphy"

"Please, just call me Steve" he matched your smile, you watched from the corner of your eye as Javier seemed to roll his eyes.

Was he jealous?

You decided to play with him a little, running your hands along Steve's bicep as you spoke in a hushed tone, "I hate to ask but I'd really appreciate a ride home, I don't think I'm good to drive"

You watched as Javier's jaw clenched. God, men were so predictable.

Before Steve could get a word out, you watched Javier step in.

"Murphy I got this, you've got enough to do here" Javier put his arm around you, you tried to ward off the heat his touch brought.

Steve seemed slightly suspicious, you didn't blame him, Javier wasn't really sly in the way he was attached to your hip.

"Okay, and I'll see you at the station?" Steve began to walk away.

"Bright and early" Javier smiled, his grip on your arm intensifying.

"Bye Steve" you waved, your tone growing weak, suddenly you didn't feel so powerful.

As soon as Steve turned around, Javier had whipped you around to face him. His brow furrowed as he looked down at you. You gulped, trying to ignore the fire it kindled between your legs.

"Enjoy flirting with a married man huh?" Javier tone was so stern and do condescending, you hated that it affected you so much.

You cringed at the knowledge that Steve was married but chose to go a more childish route in replying, "Do I know you?"

"Very funny" he narrowed his eyes, to which you mirrored the movements. To any passers-by it would've just looked like the tow of you were engaged in a very heated staring contest.

"Hmm" he took your silence as a cue to continue "I'm gonna ignore this new attitude you got and give you a ride, okay?"

"Sure, gilipollas" you shrugged, muttering the last bit as you headed towards his car.

You heard his footsteps come to a halt, and turned to face him, he did not look impressed, "What did you say?"

And with the sweetest voice you could muster, you smiled, "Nothing!"

The tension in the car was palpable, you felt strangled by the silence that consumed you both. The most you'd said was your address and that was ten minutes ago. You scanned Javier's profile, it was criminal how beautiful he was doing even the most mundane things like driving. You huffed and turned to face the roads one more.

He picked upon your sigh, "Problem?"

"No problem here, officer" you practically purred the words.

"Still got a stick up your ass?" he said, you rolled your eyes in response.

"Why did you pretend to not know me in front of Agent Murphy?" you asked, choosing to ignore his previous remark.

He sighed before glancing over to you, "It wasn't personal, I'd just rather my colleague not have the opportunity to tease me about who I sleep with"

"Slept with" you corrected, now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"But, I guess that's understandable" you began, noting his silence, "I just thought you were ashamed or something" you turned your attention to your cuticles, not meaning to sound so vulnerable.

He looked over to you again, taking your hand and placing his lips gently against them. You fought the urge to blush under his honeyed eyes.

"Never would I be ashamed, hermosa" his tone was low and sultry.

"What's taking so long anyways I only live like a mile away" you wondered, not sure how to respond to Javier's honesty.

"We're not going to your house"

You furrowed your brows, "What?"

"I'm taking you to my place" he was confident in his voice, like his words were common knowledge.

"Do I have any say in this?" you asked, eyebrows raised as he just chuckled at you.

"You gonna say no?" he turned to you as he smirked.

Safe to say you stayed quiet for the rest of the car ride. Arriving at Javier's apartment the second time around was far less rushed than the first. You had the chance to look around and assess his living quarters. You could tell Javier was a minimal kind of guy, only requiring the basics.

The one thing you did pick up on was the the record players nestled in the corner of his living room. You wandered over as Javier fixed you both a drink, scanning the crate of vinyl sitting next to it.

"Mind if I choose something" you held a record up to show Javier, he took a break from pouring as he looked over the breakfast nook.

"Be my guest"

You took the vinyl out of the sleeve and soon the sultry tones of Donnie and Joe Emerson were rattling through the room.

You took a seat on Javier's couch, smiling when he joined and handed you a mixed drink.

"Trying to get me drunk Mr..." you pulled a face realising you didn't even know the guys last name, yet you'd been to his house twice already.

"Peña, Mr Peña. And to answer your question, no, I want you to be in the right state of mind for what I'm going to do to you" he purred as his lustful eyes sized you up.

After downing a reasonable amount of your drink, you seemed to gain a little confidence. You set the glass on the coffee table and turned to straddle Javier's hips.

"Is that so? What if I want to take charge?" you spoke, laying soft kisses on his neck, feeling his pulse quicken underneath you.

"You're getting awful bossy, querida"

"Oh yeah? And you're being awful loud Mr Peña" you felt a surge of energy as you head a slight groan from Javier upon hearing you call him such a powerful title.

You continued your path of kisses, heading south and unbuttoning his work uniform as you did so. Javier's hand nestled into your hair as you began to undo the latches on his belt. Javier's thighs tenses as you shimmied him out of his jeans, already you could see his member straining against the fabric of his boxers.

You kissed the strong muscle of Javier's thighs, purposefully avoiding where he was most sensitive. You enjoyed the power as you felt him try to pull you closer to where he wanted you.

"Come on baby" you almost didn't recognise his breathy voice, "You're killing me here"

Deciding you'd had enough of torturing him, you released his cock from the confines of his boxers, not missing the quiet moan that left Javier, only spurring you on more.

You licked a stripe up the underside of Javier's hard cock, before taking him in your mouth completely. You weren't used to someone of his size so you let yourself adjust to the intrusion. When you were more comfortable you hollowed out your cheeks and began to bob up and down, Javier's moans fuelling you as you took him deeper.

"Fuck, just like that" his grip in your hair tightened as he bucked his hips into your mouth, causing you to gag slightly, "Fuck yes, choke on it"

His words ignited your own arousal, wanting nothing more than to reach down and satisfy yourself, but no, you wouldn't, this was about him.

You continued your ministrations on his cock, you could feel his breath quicken with every bob of your head. Knowing his orgasm was fast approaching, you took him dee and let yourself gag around him. Javier let out a deep moan followed by a string of expletives.

Suddenly, he pulled your head off of him and brought you up to reach his height, the sudden movement startled you but soon you were calmed by the feel of his warm lips against yours.

In between kisses he spoke into your mouth, "I want to finish with you" followed by more kisses, "Want to feel you come around me"

His words were met with a groan, this time by you. Javier wasted no time ridding you of your work uniform and settled you in a sitting position, easing into you with a slow thrust.

You both shared a moan as he began a steady pace as fucked up into you. Being on top was a whole other experience than the last time you had sex, he felt so much deeper in you and because of this, you struggled to meet his thrusts.

You soon started to match his hips, letting out wanton moans as you felt him speed up his motions.

"Fuck Javier" you managed to moan out between kisses.

"Talk to me baby, how does he feel" he took to planting wet kisses against you kisses as you lay your head back, basking in the unrivalled pleasure.

"It feels so good. Fuck, I can feel you in my fucking stomach" you whined, feeling your orgasm fast approaching as he hit your g-spot repeatedly.

"I- fuck - I am baby, you feel so fucking good" Javier's thrusts were growing sloppier, he to was close.

"Don't come yet baby, wait for Daddy" the name caught you off guard — your eyes widening slightly but you were quickly overridden with lust, letting out a moan as you snaked a hand down to stimulate your clit.

"Fuck, okay, come now baby. Come on my cock"

And that you did, almost painful in how intense you shook as you rode through your orgasm. You barely even heard Javier's moans as heat seared your body.

Weeks had passed since that fateful night with Javier, and to say the time spent in those weeks was interesting, would be a lie. The two of you had parted ways the next morning, each equipped with the others phone number, but it seemed neither of you reached out. You weren't really sad, just bummed, you hadn't felt that good during sex like, ever.

The weeks were instead spent cramming studying sessions into your already-packed schedule. You had some pretty big assignments due and you were at risk of falling behind due to your jobs demanding hours, but you powered through, albeit with some reluctance.

Even now when you were probably missing out on making valuable tips, you were nose deep into one of your textbooks, relying on one of your co-workers to man the bar for a bit. It was a Saturday and reasonably busy at the Oracle, you were thankful your boss wasn't here or else you definitely would've been reprimanded for having your attention not focused on work.

After finishing your reading, you took it upon yourself to buss the tables at the far right of the club, this was where most of the wealthier occupants sat and conserved over hard liquor. They were usually the best tip-givers too. You made your way to a booth currently seating two men, they were kind of seedy looking, you noticed. An odd chill passed over you as you approached the table. You asked if you could get them anything to drink, and they looked up at you with a certain disdain, like you had interrupted a very serious conversation. However, once they both looked over you and your body they failed to hide their sly smirks. You shuddered under the glare.

"Depends" the one with the goatee sniped, "Are you on the menu, Princesa?"

The other man nodded with a chuckle and you fought the urge to cuss them both put, where were their manners? Assholes.

"Afraid not, I'll take that as a no for drinks then" you reached for the few empty glasses littering the table, stopping in your tracks when you felt the man who had shamelessly flirted with you before, grab at your wrist. You gasped as he brought you down to his level to breathe into your hair.

"Watch the attitude, puta" he spat, the aggression in his tone not lost on you as you practically scurried away back to the bar.

"What's up?" your co-worker asked, taking in your rather timid expression.

"Oh nothing, just assholes at the back" you nodded your head over to where you could see the two men engaging in another important looking discussion.

"Typical" she muttered, leaving you to tend to more customers.

It was a while after your encounter with the men that you heard the phone ringing from the office. Being as your boss was out, had instructed you to answer if it rang. You sighed as you took in the growing number of people surrounding the bar, how important could a phone call be?

It seemed the phone call was important, the line had been consistently ringing for ten minute's before you had to excuse yourself from pouring drinks.

"Hola?" you sighed into the receiver.

"Is this Sebastian?" the voice asked.

"He's out at the moment, who is this?"

"Ma'am this is Agent Murphy" your eyes widened, the police were calling? "I'm calling to inform you that you've got a wanted criminal in the establishment"

What?

You couldn't even find the words to reply, instead you listened as he took your silence as a cue to continue explaining.

"See we need to get to him but we need your help" the man -- American you presumed, judging by his accent continued on, much to your horror.

"We need you to try and get as many people outside the building without raising suspicion to the target, can you do that?"

You paused, still trying to wrap your head around the whole situation. Could you do that? Would your nerves prevent you? No, no, you could do this. You had to protect the people in the building.

"Si, si. How long do I have before you come in?" you spoke through shaky breaths, you only hoped he couldn't sense the wavering in your voice.

"We're around the back of the building, we plan to intercept at 9:30" he replied, you checked the clock hanging on the wall of Sebastian's office -- thirty minutes, you could do this.

You listened as the agent described the appearance of the criminal. You now understood the weird feeling you got from the man earlier, it was definitely him being described. You shuddered at the memory of him grabbing your arm.

"Got it" you heard your co-worker calling for you, "I have to go now" you whispered the last part, truly scared at the events about to unfold.

You made your way around small groups of people, alerting them of the situation and reminding them to act as natural as they left. Some of them were scared, eyes so wide you swore you could see your own reflection in them. Others just seemed annoyed to be leaving their drinks so full, the presence of a criminal in the room not too concerning to them.

You kept your eyes on the clock, ten minutes before the police would come in. You'd managed to whittle the club down to just over ten people, the two men were still situated at the same booth. You'd informed your colleague and you she had reluctantly left, not before pestering you to make sure you called her after. You also felt terrible for having to keep some of the clubs customers here, but you couldn't risk the criminal becoming suspicious, you just hoped the customers would forgive you in the future.

You checked your watch, any minute now.

"Princesa" your blood turned cold at the slurred sound of the man from earlier -- the criminal, beckoning you over. This was just your luck.

With wobbly legs you tried to act as natural as possible as you walked over to the booth, forcing a smile as yo watched his beady eyes scan you over.

"What can I get you" you kept your voice strong, you didn't want him to see you sweat.

"Another round, hermosa" he winked, holding his empty glass up with a smile.

"Of course" you nodded taking the glass and practically speed-walking to behind the bar.

It was then that the saw a group of men making their way through the bars kitchen, your eyes widened. They all had their guns pointed upwards, the sight alone chilling you to the bone. You kept your back to the man as you poured his drink, silently watching as more men filtered through the doors, always careful to not be exposed too soon.

Then suddenly, everything happened in a blink of an eye, a man, a blonde man grabbed you and pulled you down to hid behind the bar as you heard shots fire out. You would've screamed had it not been for the man hands muffling your voice. The shots went on for a least a minute before settling down and being overpowered by the loud voices of the law enforcement.

"We got him" one said, his voice practically cheerful.

As the voices conversed around you, your mouth was no longer censored by the mans hand. You looked at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, taking in your bewildered expression.

You couldn't speak, you only nod as you watch him help you to your feet.

"I'm Steve Murphy, guessing we spoke on the phone?" he was definitely an American, you could tell for sure now.

Once again you could only nod, you kept your eyes fixed on him as he escorted you out the building, you couldn't bring yourself to look at the bloodbath around you.

When you finally did look around, once you had exited the building. You could barely see anything other than blue and red flashing lights scattered along the road. There was multitude of police cars and ambulances too.

"Do you need to go see medical?" Steve asked, he was growing concerned with your silence.

"No, I'm okay" you manged to speak out, your voice betraying you as you stuttered.

Steve smiled, and the tow of you took refuge leaning against the door of a police truck. Yo watched as medics began carrying people out on stretchers. These were your customers. You felt guilt invade your bloodstream as tears welled in your eyes.

No, you did what you had to do. You repeated it like a mantra as you watched them haul out the last of the injured.

"Murphy" you both turned to see the source of the voice.

It was a reasonably quiet night at Club Oracle. A few regulars were scattered around the room that usually was littered with the youth of the city, sweaty bodies gyrating to whatever DJ was playing here that night. As much as you favoured the tips you'd receive on those nights, you much preferred the familiarity of the aging men sat at the bar. They made friendly conversation with you and their glassy eyes were kind as they pestered you for refills.

When you were sure the small number of occupants were satisfied for a while, you took a moment to rest. Settling your elbows on the polished wood of the bar and watching the television from the back corner of the room. It was the news so it only served you some mild entertainment, that was until you heard the door chime, signalling a new customer.

You broke your stare at the television and turned to greet them, surprised to see that the newest customer was younger than forty. The same could not be said for the rest of the Oracle's inhabitants. Not only was he young, he was very handsome. Yellow-tinted glasses rested atop a sharp nose, accompanied by thick waves of chocolate brown hair. His lips curved into a smirk when he caught you observing him. You only smiled in response, not keen on being seen eye-fucking a stranger, or a customer no less.

"Hola, ¿qué puedo ofrecerte?"

He took a moment to look you over, then at the taps nested beside you.

"I'll have one of those sweetheart" he pointed to the tap of Aguila, before taking a seat at the stool directly in front of you.

You nodded at his request, not expecting his perfect American accent. As you poured the drink, you felt his eyes on you. If you weren't so used to the men in this place gawking over you, you would have been flattered.

"Busy night?" he joked, nodding his head to the empty room as he pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket.

You smiled as you slid his drink across, "I prefer it like this, on weekends I can barely hear myself think, let alone hear peoples orders"

He nodded, "You work a lot?"

"I'm paying my way through school at the moment, so I take all the hours I can get. One sec." you rushed your answer, noting a customer swaying slightly as he made his way to the bar.

The man seemed to have overheard your conversation, pitching in with a drunken smile, "I tell her this mi hermano, she is too pretty for this bar. I tell her she should model"

You blushed furiously at his comment, laughing along with a slight shake of your head as you refilled his glass.

"You are too kind to me, Samuel" you smile, he nods as he retrieves his filled glass, slipping a few coins into your tip jar.

You make your way back to the younger customer, noting how he is nearly finished with his drink. You grab a wet rag and begin to work the wood surface.

"He isn't wrong" he spoke through a thick cloud of smoke.

You smirk a little, "Who, Samuel?"

He nods, a similar smirk gracing his lips.

You shook your head, muttering under your breath, "El esta loco"

"Not as crazy as you think" he openly scanned your body now, his gaze like fire to your ice. It made you squirm a little for him to be so brazenly flirtatious.

A tense silence passed between the two of you as you resumed your cleaning, only looking up when he spoke again.

"What's your name, hermosa?"

You smiled at the compliment, telling him your name. "And yours?

"Javier"

You weren't really sure how you two went from innocently conversing as you worked to making out against the brick wall of your place of employment, but you weren't complaining.

Javier had manged to woo you enough that you felt comfortable telling him to wait outside for you as you finished your shift. And sure enough, when you left the front door, there he was. Leaning with his jacket around his shoulders and another cloud of smoke reverberating from him into the night sky.

It had took you mere seconds to approach him, rip the cigarette from his mouth and replace them with your own lips. And to say Javier was a good kisser would be an understatement, a massive one at that.

He tasted like smoke and alcohol but all entwined with a peppermint flair. He must've chewed gum whilst he waited for you. The combination made your head spin a little as his tongue explored your mouth. His large hands encircled you as he brought you closer to his body, the heat from his body encompassed you as you pushed yourself against him.

You were so caught up in him, you couldn't hide the breathy sigh you made as you pulled away from you. His eyes looked almost black under the harsh fluorescent streetlights as they scanned your face.

"Come back to my place" his breath fanned against your neck as he began to place feather-light kisses to your throat.

You could only nod, too scared that your voice wold waver in response to the sensation of his teeth grazing the skin on your neck. He looked up once more at your bobbing head, then his lips were gone. Instead he took you by the hand, leading you to what you could only assume was his car.

Arriving at Javier's apartment was a blur of messy kisses, torn clothes and breathy sighs. It was so dark when you two arrived that you couldn't really make out much of your surroundings.

That was until he broke apart from your lips to flick on a light. Even then, you had little time to snoop before Javier was back on you, planting feverish kisses to your lips and lifting you by the thighs to wrap them around his waist. You let out an excited squeal as he lifted you, watching as his orange couches shrank in the distance as you moved towards his bedroom.

He near enough threw you into the mattress, greedy hands grabbing at your work attire. There was no words uttered from the both of you, only the lust filled tension that was hanging heavy in the air.

Javier reached behind you and unclipped your bra. You arched at the feeling of your nipples standing erect in the cool air. A moan escaping you when Javier's lips worked their way down your neck to your chest. His plump lips pecked at your breasts, until he took it between his lips, rolling the soft flesh of your nipple against his warm mouth.

You let out a moan, the feel of Javier's teeth nipping at your sensitive breast sent jolts of pleasure through your whole body.

"Javier.." you moaned when his attention turned to your other breast. You were getting impatient.

"What is it hermosa, tell me what you want" he spoke through soft kisses to your chest.

Not being able to bring yourself to say it, for fear of cringing. You took to pushing his head down slightly, hoping he'd get the idea.

And boy, did he get the idea.

You could practically feel the smirk on his lips as he worked his way down to your underwear. Taking the lace between his teeth and pulling it down your legs. You couldn't help but moan at the visual of him spreading your bare legs across the bed.

"I've barely touched you.." he started, his voice thick with lust, "And yet.."

You jolted when you felt two calloused fingers slide up your pussy.

"You're already so wet, hermosa"

You squirmed again when you felt him repeat his actions, missing your clit by mere millimetres, he was teasing you.

"Please Javier" your voice was breathy and at risk of breaking.

He spread you even wider, exposing every inch of yourself to him.

"Since you asked so nicely"

And then he put you out of your misery, he ran his warm tongue through your slit, you gasped at the sensation.

He took to gently nipping at your clit before he encompassed it into his mouth. His tongue swirling enough to make you release a deep moan.

He groaned at the noises you were making, sending vibrations into your pussy, bringing you dangerously close already. But it was when he inserted those same two calloused fingers, that you really lost it.

Your thighs squeezed him as they shook. His fingers curled right at your walls in the most sensitive spot. You felt like you were stuck, the pleasure rendering you immobile apart from the rise and fall of your chest.

"Javier i'm gonna cum"

He didn't answer, only intensified the pressure on your clit. You couldn't help yourself from grasping at the thick waves of hair as you ground your hips against his mouth. Muttering expletives as you came.

Whilst you were still coming down from your own orgasm, Javier was stripping himself of his tight jeans. You thought about suggesting a break for you to calm down but at the sight of his thick cock being released, you just about whimpered.

"You taste so good hermosa" Javier reattached his lips to yours, you could taste yourself on him, it made you dizzy.

"Fuck, fuck me Javier" you whined, wrapping your legs around his waist, pulling him down.

He didn't seem to oppose as he sank into you, letting out an unrestricted moan as he did. God he was big, your eyes widened at the realisation that you already felt so full yet he wasn't fully sheathed in you.

His thrusts began slow, giving you a chance to adjust to the intrusion. But soon enough his pace became relentless, he fucked you into the headboard of the bed, causing an awful creaking sound to occur. You didn't care, you were already close again.

"Fuck, you feel so good around me" Javier groaned, muttering whatever came to his head as he fucked you faster.

"Javier, oh fuck" you moaned when you felt him hit that spot within you once again.

"That's it baby" Javier sped up his ministrations when he felt you begin to tighten around him.

You snaked your hand down to circle your clit, and soon enough you were coming again. Javier followed seconds after with a guttural groan, shielding himself in your neck as he pumped a few more lazy thrusts into you.

The air was heavy with sweat and sex. And it took you both a good few minutes before you could even begin to think.

Javier pulled out and settled himself at the top of the bed, where your head had been violently thrashing against the frame not minutes before.

You watched as he placed a cigarette in his mouth, offering one to you which you shook your head. You were content to just watch him. He made it look so sexy.

"You can stay the night hermosa" he spoke through an inhale, brushing a few stray hairs from your eyes.

"Okay" you smiled, happy he wasn't just kicking you to the curb after a quick fuck.

He reached for something in his bedside drawer, tossing you an object. You were glad to see it was once of his cotton shirts. Thanking him, you slid it on.