Hello my lovely Lattes! Welcome to Short Stories For Late Nights. If you find any typos, DM me or leave a comment. I love criticism if it'll help me improve. Also, please check out gabbyjade04 for being an amazing author. I made this 3 part story with the help of her. You can find her on Wattpad. Enjoy your freshly brewed story!

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It was a rough night for Axel to put it simply. Yeah, because he's in the mafia and all, he's supposed to be tough, but he's still a child at heart. Ever since the murder of his best friend, Axel got nightmares until three years ago. He thought they completely stopped until now. He quickly shot up from his bed and panically looked around.

It was another dream of his friend's death. He tried shaking the memories away to stop himself from having a panic attack. The sound of someone knocking brought him out of his thoughts. "Y-yes?" Axel asked, steadying his breath while trying to stop his body from trembling.

"Are you alright?" Jake asked, slowly walking into the dark room. "Yeah," Axel lied, rubbing his eyes. "Well, alright then. Try and get some sleep then. We're going to New York in the morning," Jake sighed, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Axel shouted, instantly gaining the other's attention. "Can you stay?" He asked, looking down shyly even though he can't see him. "Sure," Jake mumbled.

Axel felt the bed dip a little as Jake joined him. "Thank you," he whispered before falling back asleep. Axel was 16 when he first joined the Tiger Mafia, and he's now 19. Axel always had a rough life. He's parents absolutely hated him and despised him after the death of Sammy, his best friend.

They may have hated him for just existing but after Sammy, they finally had a really good reason to beat him in their minds. He tried his hardest to stay with them because they were his parents, but it got to hard. He finally did it on his twelfth birthday. He ran away. He ran as fast as he could, and as far as he could go until he past out cold.

The next thing he remembered was being awakened by a really large man. Axel later found out that his name was Bruce. Bruce basically became the father Axel always wanted over the years. Everyone apart of this mafia group knows better than to do anything stupid to Axel because of two reasons. One, he was given the job to torture anyone who's messed with them, and he's really good at his job, and two, Bruce is the new leader of the group after the death of Evan, the old leader.

Jake woke up the next morning hearing soft breathing beside him. He turned his head slightly, seeing Axel's small form still fast asleep. Jake then looked at the alarm clock and noticed that the time was 6:00 a.m. Jake got up and decided to let the other sleep a little more. He went to take a shower in Axel's bathroom so he wouldn't freak out to find that he was alone.

Axel felt Jake stir around in his bed and then soon felt the absence of warmth. He ignored it and continued sleeping, too tired to see what was happening. Once Jake got done taking a shower, he went to wake Axel up. He wrapped a towel around the lower half of his body and exited the bathroom. He then quietly walked over to the sleeping figure.

"Hey, Axel," he whispered, shaking the still sleeping form lightly. "You gotta get up, remember? We have to go to New York today," Jake continued. Axel slowly opened his eyes to see pretty much naked Jake. His face instantly reddened.

He then shot up into a siting position. "Alright," he stuttered, looking at anything other than Jake. He slowly crawled out of his bed, and then walked over to his dresser. Axel grabbed his clothes without saying another word to Jake. Once he grabbed everything he needed, he finally decided to steal a quick glance towards the taller person with a blush on his face.

Once Axel turned back away from him, Jake smirked. He knew he had a good body. Jake decided to leave Axel's room and go to his own. On the way there, a maid spotted him, her cheeks turned a dark crimson. He opened his door and stepped inside.

He then opened the closest door and pulled out a suit. He then quickly put it on. After soothing out his outfit, Jake remembered he left his clothes in Axel's bathroom. Axel quickly showered after Jake left and went to put his clothes on. Before he started dressing himself, he heard his door open, realizing the bathroom door wasn't closed.

Jake paused when he saw a naked Axel. Biting the inside of his cheek, Jake quickly averted his gaze and left the room, leaving his clothes and a very flustered boy in the bathroom. Axel's face burned with embarrassment and he quickly threw on his clothes. Unlike Jake, who was dress very formally, Axel decided to to wear something more casual.

He was use to wearing stuff like this since he isn't on a high rank like Jake or Bruce. He threw on his favorite black hoodie after putting on some dark, tight fitted pants. Axel put some white socks on before sliding on his high-top, converse shoes. After dressing, he walked to the front of the house. He already knew one of the maids took his stuff to the car.

Jake ran back to his room after the embarrassing moment. He decided it'd be better to change his outfit since they'd be on a jet for five hours. He threw on a dark grey hoodie, dark washed jeans, and black work boots. He then grabbed his bags that the maids forgot to get and exited his room. "Hey," Axel whispered to Jake, still unable to look at him in the eyes.

"Hey," Jake replied, sitting his luggage in the back of the car. He then climbed in, leaving him standing in the driveway. Axel slowly walked towards and got inside. After he buckled up, Axel leaned against the car door. "Hey, Axel," Jake whispered as they started to drive off.

"I'm sorry. I should have knocked before I barged in like that. I just forgot my clothes in the bathroom." Jake continued, still embarrassed by what happened. "I-it's fine," Axel sighed, finally deciding to look at Jake.

"Still, I'm sorry," Jake apologized. "It's alright. You don't need to keep apologizing," Axel sighed again, causing Jake to awkwardly nod his head in response. The car ride was silent besides the occasional comments their driver, Ralph, made. "Are we there yet?" Axel yawned, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Almost..., I think at least," Jake responded, turning to face the younger of the two. Axel's hair had fallen in front of his face, making him look cute and innocent in Jake's opinion. "Mm," was all Axel said as his head started to drop. Instead of falling onto the door, he felt his head fall elsewhere. To tired to care, he just stayed there and passed out.

Jake just sat there quietly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping 19 year old. Jake was five years older than him, making him 24. "Um, Sir," Ralph said to Jake, looking sort of freaked out, "I believe he's passed out. Do you mind unbuckling him for me?"

Jake nodded his head. Once Axel was free from the buckle, Ralph lifted him from the vehicle, carrying him in his arms. "I'm glad you work out with me, Ralph," Jake jokingly commented, getting out and grabbing the luggage. He hauled them to the jet and gave them to a flight attendant. "Thank you," Jake told him, sneakily stuffing a one hundred dollar bill into his coat pocket.

Axel felt warmth surround him after Ralph picked him up and snuggled into it. He slightly opened his eyes only to close them again because it was too bright for his liking. Jake sat down in his seat on the plane, Ralph still carrying Axel behind him. "Here," Jake insisted, getting up, "let me have him." Ralph gave him Axel, and Jake laid him down in a makeshift bed.

He then put the covers over Axel and watched as he snuggled into the couch. "Ralph," Jake sighed, sitting down again, "you might want to come with us on this trip. You know how Axel gets if it's just a bunch of mean business men in suits, including myself as one of them." "Alright, Sir," he responded, taking a seat next to Jake. "Don't worry," Jake stated, "I told one of the maids to pack a bag for you."

Ralph nodded his head. "Also, you don't have to call me 'Sir'. You can just call me Jake." Axel started to toss and turn until his eyes finally shot open while he growled. "Where are we?" Axel quietly whispered to Jake after noticing he was here.

"We've just landed in New York," Jake replied, ruffling Axel's hair. "Come on, I don't want to be late for the meeting. Also we should probably change." Jake then asked Ralph to get Axel's bags for him while Jake went to grab his own. "Glad you came along," Jake whispered to Ralph.

Axel let out a whine when Jake left but his presence was soon replaced with Ralph's. "Here you go," he sighed as he placed Axel's bags down. "Thanks," Axel groaned while rolling out of bed. Ralph soon left the room, but before he did, he nodded. Axel opened one of his bags to find something professional.

He pulled something out that would work and looked around the room. He noticed a door that was open. It lead into a bathroom. He then stumbled into the bathroom and took a cold shower to wake himself up. After the shower, he stepped out and threw a towel around his waist.

Before he left the room, Axel caught a glance at himself in the mirror. Scars from many events in his life scattered across his body. He quickly looked away, too disgusted with his own body anymore. He walked out of the bathroom. He then walked back to the place he found himself when he woke up to get dressed.

Jake walked down the steps of the jet, getting greeted by the attendant who had taken his bags when he first boarded. He held out the bags for Jake to take. He took them and carried them over his shoulders. "Excuse me," Jake inquired, the attendant looking at Jake, "do you know where I can change into my suit?" "Yes, I do," he responded. "Follow me, Sir."

After Axel got dressed, he went searching for Jake since he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He usually left all of that stuff for Jake to deal with while Axel dealt with the more "hands on" kinds of things. The attendant took Jake into a building and then lead him to the restrooms. "You can change in here," he informed. "I'll go find your friend and tell him where you've gone."

"Thank you," Jake responded, stepping into the bathroom. Axel looked around for awhile and started to panic. That was until an attendant came up to him and told him where Jake was. Axel let out a sigh and started walking towards that area, not wanting to be alone anymore. Jake finished putting on his suit.

He then grabbed his bags and exited the bathroom. He was walking until he saw Axel coming towards him. "Hey," Jake greeted, "you look snazzy. Very good," Axel blushed at the complement and stuttered a thank you. "You don't look bad either," Axel whispered back, happy that he was with Jake again.

"Thanks," Jake responded, "well, we better go." "Okay," Axel muttered as he followed behind Jake to the car as if he was a little puppy who was lost. Once they got there, Axel got in and buckled up. They drove down the busy streets of New York, all while seeing hundreds of people and skyscrapers. "I haven't been to New York in a while," Jake admitted, "but I never liked being crowded, so I didn't miss it that much."

"I don't blame you. Large crowds of people and loud noises make me panic," Axel admitted to Jake, staring through the window and at the large buildings. "Why do we have to go to this meeting?" Axel whined, turning towards his friend with sad, puppy dog eyes. "It's about all of the other "business" that are wanting to take away what's ours, meaning they want us dead," Jake informed, trying to summarize it in a way that won't cause Axel to freak out.

"But don't worry, I won't let anything happen to us." Jake gently placed his hand on Axel's shoulder to reassure him. "Oh," was all Axel said as he leaned against Jake. "Okay, um, can I maybe just stay around you? If it's alright with you," Axel shyly asked.

"Yeah," Jake replied, wrapping his arm around Axel's form. "I don't want you wandering off like usual." Axel laughed. "It's not my fault some things are just so distracting," Axel replied. "And thanks, I don't really like the meetings," he continued.

"I know you don't like them, but we have to go. I'll make sure to keep you close while we're there though," Jake commented. "I feel like you're treating me like a child," Axel joked. "You may be older than me by five years, but that doesn't mean you're cooler than I am," Axel giggled. "Well, I've lived longer, so I do know and have experienced more than you," Jake concluded, causing Axel to groan.

"So," Axel pouted, giving Jake his best puppy dog eyes. "So, that does mean that I am cooler than you," Jake joked, booking the other on the nose. Axel giggled at the action but quickly stopped. "Well, that means I'll live longer than you," Axel exclaimed, feeling proud of himself for beating Jake. "Hey, I'm not the one that was handling that situation last night," Jake said, referring to when Axel was dealing with a rat that sold the group out.

It caused a massive delay in sales so Axel was sent to teach them how to behave. Axel pouted again. "Yeah," he softly answered, lowering his head and leaning further into Jake. "Hey," the other whispered softly, "I won't let anything happen to you." As the car continued to drive, Axel slowly got tired again.

He has a habit of sleeping whenever he's traveling and Jake's body heat isn't helping his case either. At the same time though, his mind refused to let him sleep though. "I don't see how you can be tired with all of this noise," Jake commented, "but you can sleep if you want to because we're stuck in a traffic jam." He shifted slightly so Axel could lay on him more comfortably. "Oh, how I love New York," he said sarcastically.

Axel lightly laughed. "I don't wanna sleep though," he whispered, forcing his eyes open. "I wanna talk to you," he continued. "Then talk," Jake stated. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I don't know," Axel answered after awhile. He probably would have had a topic if his mind wasn't so groggy. "You're warm," Axel said randomly, at this point, his brain probably no longer has a filter. "Thanks," Jake chuckled, use to hearing weird things come from a tired Axel. "Do you want to explore the city a little after we're done with the meeting?" Jake asked, looking down at the sleepy Axel.

"Really, we can?" Axel asked, lifting his head so he could look at the other. "Yeah, of course we we can," Jake responded. "This, in my opinion, is a vacation. I needed to take a break, as did you."

"Where do you think we should go first then?" Axel asked, now fully awake. "I'll let you decide that," Jake said. "We can do whatever you want, doesn't matter how big or small it is. I'll do whatever it takes," Jake muttered.

Axel furrowed his brows in thought, oblivious to Jake's last sentence. "I don't know," he muttered, looking up at Jake with his strange eyes. His doesn't know how, but Axel was born with lilac eyes. "Can I think about it while we're at the meeting?" Axel asked cutely, playing with Jake's fingers after noticing they were resting on his thigh.

"I knew you'd say that," Jake whispered to the other. "I know you don't like listening to scary men argue about what in the world they're going to do if they get their hands on the person that they want...," Jake trailed off, knowing that he might spook Axel. "Sorry, I was babbling on about something stupid." "It's fine," Axel spoke softly. "And they smell badly like smoke and alcohol," Axel scrunched his face up in disgust after remembering the last meeting.

"Some also gave me this weird look," he continued, shivering. "Are we almost there?" Axel sighed after ten minutes of silence. "Yeah, I believe we're here," Jake replied, gently removing Axel from his body so he could unbuckle. "Don't forget, stay close to me when we're there and don't wander off. I don't want to be worrying about you," Jake reminded, smiling at the smaller male.

"Okay," Axel giggled, exiting the car after Jake. Jake walked into the building, Axel close to his side. He stepped up to the front desk, seeing a woman typing on her keyboard. "The door to the meeting is down the right hallway, second door to the left," she said grimly. "Thank you," Jake replied, following the directions she told him about.

"Don't worry, Axel," Jake whispered, "just stay close to me and everything will be alright." "Okay," Axel whispered, keeping his head down. Axel quickened his pace just a little bit so he was now walking beside Jake. "I just hope this'll be over soon," he sighed. "They're always bickering about one thing or another," he pouted, looking over at Jake.

The two then entered the giant meeting room, eyes locking onto their forms as they walked to their seats. "Ah," the leader, Ian, said, "nice of you to finally join us, Gentlemen." "It's our pleasure," Jake said, sitting down with Axel to his left. Jake noticed he was scared, but he would be the only doing the talking on their part, so he didn't need to worry. Axel glanced at Jake worriedly.

He didn't like it here. Axel mentally shook his anxiety away and replace it with plans for after the meeting. Jake noticed Axel was shaking a little, so he took the pen and paper that was in front of him and wrote down something. He then slid the piece of paper over to Axel. Axel slightly picked up the paper so he could read it better.

"It's alright. I don't think this meeting will last too long." It read. Axel glanced over to Jake and poked his arm, silently asking for the pen. Jake understood what Axel was wanting and handed over the pen.

Their hands brushed. Jake noticed that Axel had soft, yet cold, hands. Before writing anything down, Axel thought about where he wanted to go. He thought maybe a coffee shop would still be open. Coffee sounded nice to him.

He then remembered that they usually also had sweets. Axel quickly wrote down, "Does going to a coffee shop sound alright for later?" He then slid the paper back to Jake with the pen on top of it. Jake read the note after he finished talking, slightly sighing in relief. Jake replied in writing, "That's perfect. I will definitely need some caffeine after this meeting."

He then slid the note back over to Axel. After Axel read over what Jake wrote in response to his idea, he let a little laughter slip from his mouth until he quickly covered it up. He looked down in embarrassment, hoping no one noticed it. After the little incident, Axel started doodling little animals all over the paper. The meeting lasted over two hours, but thankfully the pair made it out alive.

How was it? Hopefully good. Now I know you're probably reading this late at night because that's something we're all guilty of, but please do get some rest. You can find me on Wattpad @KoalaCafe

Goodnight, Lattes ❤

(If you're reading this during the day, then have a good day today, Tea Cups)