Oscar has never tried to fit in and has never wanted to, but when his party friend, Max, is revealed to be mafia prince, Marcus Gallagher, suddenly being a 'lone wolf' is no longer an option; not if Oscar wants to woo his prince and get out alive!
*...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was around midnight when they'd finished refueling the jet and headed back to Kingsport. But Oscar had already started to realize how little that meant, because it felt like it had been night forever.
Max had tried to explain how they were gaining or losing hours, which just made them all sound like some sort of wormhole-hopping time travelers.
All the punk knew was that somehow, after a six-hour flight, his phone told him it had only been an hour, and the sun was still nowhere in sight after over twelve hours. Jet lagged didn't even begin to describe how off Oscar felt.
Max's driver, Petie, picked them up from the airport in a limousine, and since scally cap guy was criticizing his taste in art, he turned up his music, flooding the entire length of the cab with it. The R&B-sounding vocalist's words floated between a quick, pulsing beat that sounded like something Oscar would expect to hear in a club... Not exactly what he imagined an old Irish mobster to be jamming out to.
"...I've never seen...seen one like you. You're a knife... Sharp and deadly. And it's me...that you cut into."
But it wasn't just the time zone shuffle or the buzz of the limo's bass that had the punk feeling weird. His realization about Max's feelings was without a doubt the biggest trip for him of this seemingly endless night. His mind still didn't know how to shift gears from friends and fuck buddies to a...couple?
"But I don't mind... In fact, I like it. Though I'm terrified... I'm turned on, but scared of you..."
To be fair, he'd never actually dated men... His and Daryl's arrangement was humiliating, but it was a transaction—a service—not a relationship. Men didn't date men in their world; not unless they were weak, and on the west side, being weak made you a target.
Oscar had never had anyone do something nice for him without there being a reason or something expected in return.
The only person who'd ever shown him any sort of affection without asking for anything in exchange for it was his Nan. That was what made her so dear to him; why he'd do anything to avoid asking her for money or favors, why he'd do anything to keep her safe, and why he could never tell her the truth. Sure, she probably knew he was lying, but at least she was kind enough to pretend that she believed he could be a good person. That was all he needed—one person that believed in him and loved him no matter what.
But then Max, or Marcus, sauntered into his life. What he'd taken as another male trying to show off to him, had suddenly changed into him showing off for him...to get his attention, not because of his ego, but because he wanted him to be his...
"She's a monster. Beautiful monster. Beautiful monster. But I don't mind..."
Oscar had no idea what to do, or how to feel about that. At the back of his mind, he felt like it was wrong, like accepting Max's affections made him the vulnerable one, the weak one. But what he'd seen in Max's eyes on the plane, when they were alone...that was probably the most exposed he'd ever seen anyone.
