While Oscar was a decent billiards player from all the time he spent in bars and at the club house, it was far rarer that he ever got to swim. Despite his lack of experience, Oscar seemed unintimidated by the water.

He stripped down to his boxer briefs and cannon-balled into the turquoise depths, leaving his clothes in a pile of black, denim, and chains by the side of the pool, without a second thought. But after a little splashing and paddling, he'd fully conquered the pool and was confidently horsing around, steadily finding higher and more complex ways to jump into the water. While not all attempts were exactly graceful, they were getting more impressive as he started to master backflips and somersaults off the diving board.

Elise laughed unabashedly at some of his less graceful attempts, getting quite a kick out of watching the sheer joy Oscar radiated. She'd pulled her wedge sandals off, and had perched on the side of the pool like a little bird with her legs in the water, but eventually, she couldn't resist how fun it looked, and after slipping her bra out from under her dress, jumped into the deep end herself, taking the opportunity to swim closer to Oscar once he'd resurfaced from one of his dives.

"How are the two of you doing, by the way?" she asked quietly, glancing around just to make sure no one had noticed where they were yet.

"Well..." Oscar panted lightly, his words brushing across the surface of the water as he slowly swam backwards towards the diving board. "Good, I think," he said, taking hold of the diving board from underneath and just hanging there like a little kid, while they talked. "It's kind of weird, ya know? ... But, like, good weird."

"Yeah," she nodded as she tread water to keep her chin just above the surface. "Well, not exactly, but yeah... I'm glad. I don't know a lot about what he and Da do, which is probably pretty obvious," she commented, glancing away. "But I'm sure it's not easy, or pretty... So, I like the idea of Marc having someone close that makes him happy; that makes his world a little less ugly."

The punk took a moment to let his gaze drift around from the house to the light reflecting off the water's surface and then back to Elise's beautiful face and smiled.

"I don't know... to me, his world looks anything but ugly."

Elise's cheeks flushed and she sent a splash of water at him. "You don't have to flatter me, Mr. Bradley," she teased. "I'm already on your side."

Oscar leaned in a little closer. "Mmm, I don't know... I mean, if it were me, I'd be suspicious of any guy who didn't hit on you at least a little..." His eyes met hers and then motioned up to the camera situated on the corner of the house before he pulled back. "...And I'm on strict instructions not to let on that Marcus and I are anything but pals," Oscar said doing a few mock pull ups on the board that were made much easier with the help of the water.

Elise followed his lead, turning her head briefly towards the camera, spotting it, before laughing and looking back at him. "Well, that sounds...dangerous for me," she said, with another giggle, face flushing a bit deeper red as she sank slightly lower in the pool. She understood the line of thinking, though. Her parents weren't stupid by any stretch, and she knew it had to be a concern on Marc's mind...them finding out.

The punk looked surprised. "Why's that?" Oscar wondered.

His question seemed to catch Elise off guard just as much as her comment had him. She parted her lips to speak, but ended up closing them again, giving herself a second longer to think before speaking. "Because," she said, as if the reason should've been obvious enough. "I don't wanna catch feelings for my brother's...friend," she explained. "It wouldn't be cool."

"Oh, heh. No, it wouldn't..." Oscar agreed, though he seriously doubted that could happen. He could remember chasing girls half as attractive as Elise around the club all night and not getting so much as a smile or a number. "But things do get a lot more attractive the moment you're told you can't do them." Oscar pulled himself completely up onto the diving board and looked upwards once more, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "You think I could back flip off that balcony?" he wondered.

Elise shaded her eyes as well, and looked at the intricate wrought iron balcony in question. "I think you could," she replied before gracefully swimming toward the side of the pool. "...but you might also break your back if you miss," Elise added in a cheery tone, pulling herself up out of the water to sit on the side again, crossing her arms over her breasts since her soaked sundress was now entirely see-through. It clung to her body, especially accentuating the curve of her hips and thighs.    

Oscar's soaked underwear didn't leave much to the imagination either, though the punk seemed far less interested in modesty as he sat down on the edge of the pool next to Elise. But despite all his best efforts he still couldn't avoid his gaze straying from her face now and then.

"Is my mascara running?" she asked, but Oscar hadn't even been able to tell that she was wearing makeup at all.

"Nah, you look great," he assured before glancing back at the second-floor balcony as if trying to map out a way to it from the inside...or perhaps he was just doing it to avoid staring too long at Max's sister.

"You look like a cat plotting his next scheme to knock something over," she commented, before one of her delicate hands took Oscar's chin, and turned his face toward hers. "Promise me you won't break my brother's heart, Oz?" Elise requested, using Max's nickname for him. She had the slightest frown on her lips, and the expression on her face somehow looked both vulnerable and authoritative at the same time; like she knew the power that pout held.

Oscar's smile sobered a little. "That's the last thing I want to do."

Relief washed over Elise's face, and she let go of Oscar's. "Good." She nodded to herself. "Good. Thank you. Thank god," she laughed, releasing some nerves.

Oscar laughed as well, then sighed. "I suppose that's a 'no' then, on being my cover girlfriend." He directed his gaze down to where his feet gently kicked through the water.

"Your...? Oh." For a few moments Elise stared at the sparking patterns the water made on the bottom of the pool, the way their shadows intersected the dancing lines, before adding, "I guess I could do that... I mean, I'm not seeing anyone right now. I have other things I wanna do before getting tied up in an actual romance with someone, so... It could be believable. Maybe. Dunno how my mother would feel about it."

"Hmm... I'm going to take a wild guess and say she'd take it better than knowing the truth about me and your brother?" the punk reasoned as he tilted his head to the side to look back at her.

"Definitely," Elise agreed with a frown. "At least she's met you already, and enjoyed having you at dinner... Marc trusting you as much as he does also helps."

"What's going on here?" Max's smooth voice drew their attention to the other end of the pool, where Max had just strode through the gate. He sported a pair of sunglasses that made it impossible to see his eyes, but the corner of his lips were pulled into a casual, lopsided smirk.

"Just enjoying the weather." Elise tried to keep herself covered as she got up.

Her brother came to her rescue, untucking and unbuttoning his crisp collared shirt and removing it to drape around her much smaller frame, leaving himself in a black, fitted undershirt. Then he took a moment to appreciate Oscar's tatted form, trails of water glistening down it, and stopped on the boxer briefs that might as well have not been there at all with how revealing they were when wet... Not that Oz ever seemed to have many reservations about somewhat public nudity. "You know, I can get you a pair of trunks..."

"If that's what you'd prefer to see me in, then I'm game," Oscar tossed back easily with a grin as he leaned back on his palms to look up at Max. He couldn't describe the feeling that came over him when he saw his lover there as if materialized out of nowhere. Even though he'd not been gone long, Oscar had missed him; like a hound waiting for his owner to return, and if he'd had a tail at that moment, it would have been wagging uncontrollably. Luckily, Oscar didn't, and was able to play off his joy with little more than a wide smile.

Max leaned over him. "Right now, I'd rather see you in my car," he purred against Oscar's wet hair before straightening to his full height again and adding, "There's somewhere I wanna take you. And I promise it'll be a short drive. This place is continental."

"Guess I better get dressed then," Oscar remarked as he stood up and began collecting his clothes. Honestly, he'd hoped the place was Max's bed, but he had to admit he was curious what the mafia prince had planned.

Elise excused herself, although while she was walking away, she did take a quick peek over her shoulder as Oscar was peeling off his underwear. Squeezing into his dry pants commando style was the real show, however, and Max watched the whole thing, grinning for its entirety.

But the two of them weren't even able to make it to the garage before Max's phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Yeah, Da?" he answered, bumping arms with Oscar as they walked. Then, Max slowed down, before stopping entirely and checking his watch. "...Could I bring Oscar along? ...He could wait in the lounge..."

Max cast a gaze over at the punk in question.

"Right...Well, he could order something if it gets late... Yes, sir.... Yes, sir... 'Kay." Max hung up, and tucked away his phone again. "Change of plans," he said as he snapped then pointed at Oz.

"Change of plans?" Oscar tilted his head.

"You need to get better dried off and into some different clothes, and I need another shirt." Max pivoted on his heel, expecting Oscar to follow. "We gotta go to the office downtown. Well, I need to go to the office. You're coming with me."

They took turns using the master bathroom nearest Max's room. Oscar hit the shower first. Having already taken one earlier, and only having to get the smell of chlorine off him, he was in and out rather quickly. While Max was taking his turn, the punk found some underwear and changed into his black skinny jeans and a white tank top. He completed the look by hijacking a button up shirt from Max's closet, though he didn't bother with the buttons or tucking it in, and a pair of aviator sunglasses left unattended on Max's dresser while he waited.

When Max and Oscar arrived at the office, one of five tall silver towers that rose above the rest of the high rises in the heart of the downtown area, it was just about dinner time. This wasn't the tallest of the "big five", but it was the newest, having only been completed less than four years ago. They parked in Max's VIP space in the underground parking lot, which was conveniently placed within sight of the elevator that they took to the forty-second floor.

Something about that number rattled Oscar's memory... Several passing comments over the years about the Gallaghers' forty second floor being the 'last stop' for people...

Oscar hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now, standing next to Max, who was leaning casually against the mirrored wall with a sly smile on his face, he kind of wished he had...

Have you ever been to a major city or in a really tall building? I'm personally a little sketch about heights, so I dunno if I'd enjoy it! ^^; Would you?

Shout out to viicham ! Thanks so much for your support!!